A New History
by base12
Summary: It caused her to question the paradigm she had built up for herself, the one which had worked flawlessly as long as she could remember. Teyla continued to stare, unable to reconcile the fact that this murderer, this evil creature was appearing to show kindness. She questioned everything she thought she knew about both the Ancients and the Wraith.
1. Looming on the Horizon

This story is a FanFiction based on the TV show stargate Atlantis. This story was written only as a hobby and was by no means intended to impersonate the original material or to compete with it. (I don't think it could). Some of the characters and settings portrayed in the story are not this author's original creation.

Some information about the story.

I think a lot of people who watched the TV show have the general feeling that the 'wraith arc' was never fully developed or utilized as well as it could have been. My intention in writing this was to add depth to a small part of that, as well as interesting and complex characters.

Some people have commented on previous stories about the way I portray wraith characters. They seem to think I don't make them distinctly 'wraith.' It was my intention to portray the characters beyond the stereotypical 'bad guys.' If this bothers you, you have been warned.

No slash, no sex, no romance of any kind.

There are disturbing descriptions of violence here and there, but nothing worse than you would see in the show, and about as bad as you see skimming world news.

The story was not beta read, so grammatical and plot errors may abound. I would appreciate anyone volunteering to beta read the story.

* * *

_-oOo-_

The planet appeared, dissolving out of the swirling purple and blue effects of hyperspace. The planet's colors looked like a painting, peaceful and beautiful. The pale blue of the water contrasted with the brilliant white of the land near the coastline, turning a dark brown as it intermingled with the vast expanses of green farther inland. She imagined the people down on the surface, perhaps in their fields working, or resting peacefully in their home in the midday heat.

A stream of darts flew past the window toward the surface, disappearing into the landscape just as quickly as they appeared. She wished, with every fiber of her being that she could stop them. With each ship careening toward the surface, she could see the aftermath before they even arrived. Ruined homes, chaos, distraught people, searching for their family whom they may never see again, she could see all these things before it even happened. No matter how she tried to rationalize it, it never became easier to bear. Each time she saw a culling, it became more difficult to remain still, watching and doing nothing. She entertained it for the briefest of moments, that with not more than a thought, she could stop it all. She could order the darts back to the ship, and before giving explanation, she could destroy the ship.

That's what a wraith would do. How could she think of herself as better than a wraith if she stooped to their level of hate and violence? Besides, it was not even possible; they would not listen to her. The most she could do was hope that an opportunity would present itself to help those who were being culled.

But what good was this hope that had been shattered continually? Could she again delude herself into hoping it was even possible?

"One, I will at least save one."

She wouldn't let go of the hope that she would at least be able to do _something_. Before she had even set foot aboard the ship, she knew what it would be like. Even saving one person, at least in her mind couldn't seem to compensate for standing idly by right now, and doing nothing.

She turned quickly away from the window, unable to look on what was being done. She remembered though, that the time was approaching. Soon, just as had been planned so long ago, the time of this wretched and terrible race would come to a close. At the appointed time, they would be given a choice, and their fate would rest with themselves.

She had been there when it all began, to do what she was sent here to do. It was still unknown to her if she would see it through to the end.

* * *

_-oOo-_

John Sheppard generally thought of himself as an intelligent man, although he wasn't the type to go around stating that. Unfortunately Rodney had no such restraint. John gazed over at McKay, who was standing up at the front of the conference room busy preparing something on his computer. John yawned widely which caused his eyes to water, then closed them allowing his head to slump slightly onto his shoulder. The dark room and the relative quiet made it difficult pay attention to the presentation, but hopefully Rodney wouldn't notice if he dozed off. John knew he wasn't the only one in the room suffering this problem, he could hear at least three in the audience snoring quietly.

Rodney's idea to give presentations on various forms of advanced technology was well accepted by Dr. Weir, who maintained that it would allow off-world teams to operate more safely. They had found out recently that some of the people being assigned to the expedition from Earth hadn't even been off-world before they set foot on the Daedalus. Many of these new recruits were lacking basic knowledge of the advanced science and technology as well as cultures and peoples they had encountered. One of the cultural experts was handling the presentations on races and people; naturally McKay was handling the scientific aspect. John really did appreciate the idea, and he did agree that it would be good if everybody there, himself included had at least a _basic_ knowledge of some of the things they were liable to encounter.

When General O'Neill first persuaded him to join the Atlantis expedition, he figured there would be steep learning curve; that much was obvious from the onset. Of all the people he knew were going, he was the only one who didn't have a PhD _and_ had never stepped through a stargate. Suffice to say, he had felt a little out of place when the members of the expedition gathered in the gate room of the SGC to depart for the Pegasus galaxy.

"All right," McKay said, breaking through the peaceful silence which had blanketed the conference room. John raised his head, pretending that he had been waiting eagerly the whole time. "Let's continue onto naquidah." McKay flipped the slide on the projector, which showed a picture of elemental naquidah.

John groaned internally. He reallywanted to learn about this stuff, and yet he couldn't stay focused; his mind kept wandering.

He imagined taking a trip to the mainland, to that sunny sandy beach they had discovered a few months ago, the one where waves were prefect for surfing.

"…unique crystalline tetrahedral structure which creates the ideal charged field for capture of anti-protons." McKay continued. "A small percentage of naquidah's mass is always going to consist of anti-matter, which as you know, releases tremendous amounts of energy when it interacts with ordinary matter." The slide switched to page full of numbers and equations. "When the naquidah is exposed to a strong enough charge, the strength of the field overcomes the natural charge, allowing the antimatter to react with the protons."

He smirked and leaned casually on the side of the podium, trying and failing badly to relate to the audience. "This is a gross oversimplification, but you can imagine this occurring when naquidah is used as a capacitor."

His mind wandered to powerful explosions. John thought of the Genii, busy building their nuclear weapons with the hope of attacking the wraith. He scowled at the thought of them; those people were treacherous. He wouldn't soon forget how they had been led on and betrayed by them.

Lost in thought, he didn't even know what McKay was saying at this point.

There was a lull in the noise level in the room as McKay paused.

"Off world activation," said the gate operator's voice over the intercom.

Everyone in the room stood up. In less than a few seconds, someone switched the lights on, and the main doors opened.

"Uhh, wait," McKay protested, "I haven't finished with the uhh." People began to file out of the room, Ignoring McKay and leaving him standing at the front, mouth slightly agape in shock.

Sheppard remained standing in the middle as the last person left. McKay walked slowly over to where Sheppard was standing, looking slightly dejected.

"I uh, guess they were needed somewhere else." McKay rationalized.

"Yeah," John re-assured, projecting a subtle sarcastic tone, "I'm sure that's all it was."

McKay sighed, frustration written all over his face. "Look, I'm putting a lot of effort into this, I mean, the least these people can do is pay attention."

John began walking slowly out of the room and across the bridge separating the conference room from the control room. "I know you're putting a lot of work into these presentations, but…"

"But what?" McKay interrupted rudely, "They're just not smart enough to understand?" McKay's face showed all the evidence of his chronic arrogance.

"No," Sheppard said patiently, "It just goes on a little long, and you need focus a little less on the math."

"Oh, I see, I need to dumb it down for you." McKay said smugly.

Sheppard turned away, shaking his head slightly. He knew that it was sometimes better to just ignore Rodney. Better to not give him more fuel to work with. Down below them, the active gate shimmered, causing the polished floor around the gate to shimmer in a moving display of bright blue.

The members of Major Lorne's team appeared through the barrier all at once. Lorne gazed up to where John was standing and gave a nod as a sort of greeting. The team continued away from the gate, but Lorne split off and walked up the steps onto the control platform. He put his hand in his face and seemed to rub his eyes in a massaging manner as he climbed.

"What's going on?" Sheppard asked as Lorne neared where he was standing. Lorne stopped a few paces away and paused. His face was distant and he appeared exhausted.

"You have no idea how hard it is to get those people to agree on anything!" Lorne said. "One minute they're all for letting us set up a mining outpost, and the next they're telling us they're offended by our offer."

Lorne continued toward Dr. Weir's office and Sheppard followed behind a distance. He knew he didn't need to follow, but he wasn't scheduled for another mission until the day after tomorrow when Teyla returned from a visit with the Athosians. He had nothing important to do, and found it difficult to ignore whatever was happening around Atlantis; he wanted to stay in the loop.

Dr. Weir was at her desk, looking intently at her workstation. Whatever she was reading really interested her, because she didn't even see them coming until Lorne knocked on the glass pane.

Elizabeth jumped slightly, startled at their appearance. She looked between the both of them, her face showing a trace of embarrassment. She touched the control on her desk which opened the sliding door.

"Major Lorne," She greeted cordially. "What is the status of your trade negotiation in regards to mine access?"

"There's not going to be a negotiation," Lorne said as he sat down on the chair in front of her desk.

You were gone for over a day." Weir stated, her tone showing slight confusion.

Lorne laughed, although it sounded more like a sigh. "After _much_ discussion amongst themselves," he said this with emphasis, "they decided the cost would outweigh the risk."

"Really?" Elizabeth said. "I thought we were going to make headway this time around. You said last week they seemed open to the idea."

"Yes ma'am they were, but that was last week."

"What was their reason for declining?"

"Oh, a hundred different reasons from a hundred different people," Lorne said, his tone demonstrating exhaustion. "The main one was they were afraid we would have undue influence on their system of government."

"You made it clear to them that we're not in the business of acquiring territory?" Sheppard added.

"Oh I tried," Lorne said, "But there's always one or two present that are cynical and paranoid."

Dr. Weir smirked slightly, "And I suppose next week they'll contact us yet again and ask to resume negotiations?"

"Wonderful," Lorne said with mock enthusiasm.

"Thank you," Weir said, dismissing him politely.

Lorne stood up, groaning faintly as he did so. Sheppard guessed he had been standing up for a long time.

Sheppard stood there for a second and watched Lorne walking away, and then turned his attention back to Elizabeth who was staring at him. Sheppard only then picked up on the awkwardness of his presence there. He tried to _remember_ why he was in her office in the first place.

"Hello," Elizabeth said, her tone expressing awkwardness.

"Hi," Sheppard said flippantly. Sheppard guessed it boiled down to the fact that he was bored. He didn't like spending multiple days at a time sitting around doing nothing. He really wished Teyla would hurry up and get back from whatever she was doing.

Sheppard stood there, hands in his pockets trying to look casual while his mind frantically searched for something to talk about. Should he risk embarrassment and say he didn't need anything, or should he try to find a reason to be here?

"Did you need something Colonel?" Weir asked?

"Whatcha reading?" John blurted out. He immediately wished he could retract that question. What if she was reading something personal?

Weir smiled, suppressing a laugh. "You're really that bored?"

"Yeah," Sheppard said honestly. "Don't get me wrong, McKay's presentations are interesting, but…" He paused to search for the right description.

"But you don't want them to last five hours."

"Exactly, I start falling asleep after about the first hour."

"I'll talk to Rodney about that. I'll see if I can get him to make it a little more tolerable."

"Thank you," He said, over-exaggerating his thanks.

"In case you still want to hang around," Weir said, changing the subject. "I am reading something interesting."

"Oh really?" He was grateful for something to distract him.

"Rodney managed to recover a surprising amount of information from the ancient database which had been removed."

"Removed? Why?"

"Well, most of it seems to be superseded information, things which were no longer relevant, but we have found a few vague references to some of the ancient's top secret projects."

The mention of 'top secret' grabbed his attention. "You mean like that huge space gun that Rodney used to blow up a solar system?"

"Yes," Elizabeth said, "I did find mention of that, along with a lot of other things."

"What else have you found?" John asked, gaining interest.

"Well…" Dr. Weir hesitated. "I didn't want to mention anything right away…"

"What?" Sheppard asked. Curiosity wouldn't allow him to let the issue go.

"I found deleted records of the Lantean council regarding allotment of resources to an unnamed project."

Sheppard paused, waiting for the rest. "Is that it?" he asked.

"No, Weir continued. "I grant you this doesn't sound particularly important until you see the tremendous amount of resources they put into this project.

Dr. Weir turned the screen of her monitor so Sheppard could see it. He had been learning how to read ancient, but it still took a lot of effort for him to recognize words. He didn't even try reading the tiny lines of text,

"What is it?" Sheppard asked.

"They put nearly twice the manpower into this project as they did into project arcturus. The weird thing is there's no further mention of it beyond these secret council meeting records."

"Well, it must have been pretty important if it was kept secret. Do we know what it was?"

Weir shook her head minutely "No," she said, "but, that's what I'm trying to find out."

* * *

_-oOo-_

Teyla's father had warned her that good trading partners don't necessarily make good friends. In the case of the people of Mitstra, good friends don't necessarily make good trading partners. Teyla had frequented this planet in years past with her father. Although it was only a hot oasis in the middle of a desert, the people were very hospitable. When she was younger, she often wondered why her father seemed in such high spirits up to the point trade began. As she aged, she came to understand that these people were somewhat rude traders.

Although she didn't necessarily like it, responsibility for representing the Athosian people had fallen to her. Her father had been their leader, one whom they trusted, and after his death, the task became hers. It was a task she took very seriously; she wouldn't let responsibility to her friends in Atlantis supersede her responsibility to her people.

Nicomek, the self appointed spokesman of the city respected Teyla, mostly because he and her father had been friends. Nicomek owned a large portion of the arable land in this region, and he used most of it for growing crops. He was also a merchant, and because of this he was among the wealthiest people in the area.

The primary export of Mitstra was wheat, which grew well here because of the irrigation from the large river nearby. Since Teyla's people lived in cold temperate forest regions, they couldn't grow such crops. The one thing the Athosions did have in quantity to trade was fur and meat. This world did not have any species of animals suitable to domesticate for meat, and previous attempts at importing them had for one reason or another failed; therefore these people had to rely solely on trade for meat.

Teyla waited inside the tent, wishing the proceedings would hurry up. She sat on an elaborately decorated couch, the cloth of which was composed of a multicolor fabric. Teyla tilted her head up at the roof and could see the hot sun overhead, shining dimly through the weave of a small 'window' on the roof.

The temperature inside was very warm, warm enough to sweat, but thankfully she had dressed in breathable light colored robes typical of what the women here would wear. A slight breeze parted the tent door momentarily, sending a gust of warm air inside.

Nicomek had a habit of making you wait before proceeding with trade discussions; he had done the same every time she could remember being here. She couldn't understand why upon mentioning trade, he would suddenly disappear on some important errand while only moments before he had been a host entertaining a guest. She supposed it was a way of trying to assert superiority during the negotiations, as if to imply what he owned was of more value than what she had to offer.

Teyla remembered it was important to not allow him to undervalue what she was offering, and not to be too eager to make the trade.

Teyla heard someone approaching the tent, she saw the tent door part open, and Nicomek appear in the doorway. He bent over slightly as he crossed the threshold.

Nocomek was an older man, possibly nearing his sixties, although Teyla was too polite to ask. His skin, like the natives of this planet was a darker tan color, and his moustache was dark with hints of gray. He was dressed nicely in white colored robes, with stripes of color here and there. His garb would have been considered modest for his stature in the community, and he seemed to make a habit not to flaunt his wealth. His primary residence in the city was almost a palace, but even then he spent most of the year in a tent near to his fields.

"Teyla," he greeted happily. "It's good to see you! Sorry to keep you waiting, I had some very important matters to attend to." He walked farther into the room and sat down on a couch across from Teyla.

"I understand," Teyla said, trying to smile politely. She knew that probably wasn't true, but there was no point in bringing it up.

"Good," he said, "Shall we proceed?"

Teyla nodded but didn't speak.

"As I understand it," he began, "Your people have recently found a new home?"

"Yes," Teyla replied, "Our old home on Athos was destroyed by the wraith."

"That is terrible," he said. He shook his head and averted his eyes. "Have your people fared well since?"

"Yes," Teyla said, "We have been able to re-locate." She knew even to old friends, she could not disclose the continued existence of Atlantis, therefore she omitted the Atlanteans contribution to helping them.

"I am pleased to hear it. Now, what have you come to trade?"

"Our new home is abundant in wild game, and we have determined we are able to gather much more than we need."

"I see," Nicomek said, attempting to appear neutral. Teyla knew from his stance and tone that he was very interested. The signs and gestures were very subtle, taking years of trading experience to recognize. "How much?" he asked.

"We are confident we can deliver one hundred redzak over the course of the year, as well as the hides. We anticipate two cured skins each week. In return, we would ask three hundred kesas of wheat delivered in its season."

Nicomek paused, seeming to contemplate the offer "I believe we could benefit from such a trade," he said, trying not to sound too eager. "But your price is far too high. No, I believe one hundred and eighty kesas would be fair."

Teyla knew she needed to remain calm. She had overpriced her offer slightly, knowing he would try to negotiate it down, however she hadn't anticipated such a dramatic offer."

"Three hundred is what my people will need," Teyla said. "Anything less wouldn't be fair to them."

"I may offer you two hundred," Nicomek said, "But anything more wouldn't be fair to _my_ people."

Teyla paused, thinking of her next move.

"Perhaps it will be necessary to keep whatever animals we kill," Teyla said standing up slowly, "We may have to manage with less wheat this year."

There were already several planets the Athosians were trading with for wheat, but for all the difficulty they gave her, this was one of the best places to buy it.

Nicomek paused, his chin resting in his hand as though deep in thought. "That is unfortunate," he said indifferently. "Perhaps we could move onto something more pleasant?" he said, suddenly changing mood. "Are you able to stay for dinner? My servants have prepared much more than is necessary, and I would be honored if you stayed."

Teyla smiled faintly, "Thank you, I would."

* * *

_-oOo-_

Rodney McKay already knew himself to be a genius, and this accomplishment only served to re-affirm that. Who else besides himself could have recovered information which the ancients removed from the city's database? Rodney conceded that they had been very thorough in their attempts, but there were still a few redundant systems which they had missed.

Even more interesting was what he found. Most of what he was seeing was absolute junk, information which had been proven wrong, or errant data. Even though this sorting had gone on only for a day, they had already found reference to potentially priceless information.

"There's just too much data missing," Zelenka said, standing to one side as Rodney sat in front of the workstation.

"I can compensate for it!" Rodney insisted. He really did wonder why Zelenka would bother to make such a statement. After all, this was _his_ computer program, wouldn't he know what it was capable of?

"You're going to get huge portions of it missing."

"Thank you Dr. Obvious," Rodney said with flamboyant sarcasm. "I'm well aware of what the result will be. Perhaps you could consider that I only really need to get a gate address!"

"I'm just saying, I don't think it's a good idea to start fiddling with-whatever this is without knowing everything about it."

"Look, no matter what, we're not just going to gate in there and turn it on, we…" Rodney's tone faded. He remembered all too clearly what happened with project arcturus. He supposed he had earned back everyone's trust by now, but he could still remember the feeling of utter failure, of losing everyone's trust. To make it worse, nobody had made mention of the incident after a day or so. Rodney expected to be continually harassed by everyone; he expected them to use it as a reason to not trust him. But so far he hadn't heard one mention it, and that almost made him feel more guilty.

"We're going to be careful," he said calmly.

The computer screen in front of him flashed, and lines of text appeared.

"Here we go," Rodney said with excitement. His excitement vanished almost immediately when he saw what was in front of him.

Raddik muttered something unintelligible, although Rodney knew it probably was a Czech phrase for 'I told you so.'

The text displayed in front of Rodney was broken and unreadable; not more than two or three Ancient letters were displayed in sequence with huge gaps in between. Rodney began scrolling through the text, hoping to find something usable.

"I don't see anything that resembles a gate address," Zelenka stated.

Rodney scrolled through the data twice, looking for something which resembled a stargate address.

"Yeah," Rodney said in defeat. "I guess I'm just gonna have to keep working on it."

"What are your search parameters for the database?"

"I'm searching the deleted council meeting records for any mention of project P7J88HT."

"You mean this project or experiment or whatever it was, was never given a formal name?"

"Nope," Rodney said, "Apparently it was too secretive for that."

"That's odd," Raddik mused, "I saw the numbers for the man hours and resources devoted to it. I wonder why they wouldn't give it a name?"

* * *

_-oOo-_

The table in front of Teyla was decorated with an ornate table cloth, consisting of fine silk fabric. Nicomek sat at the opposite end finishing his meal. Nicomek's wife and two of his youngest children had departed already, leaving only Teyla and Nicomek's servant as the remaining guests.

Nicomek's servant wasn't a slave or a servant in the sense Teyla knew the word. He was to Nicomek, more like a friend The servant rose and began gathering the silverware and plates from the table. Teyla knew if nothing was mentioned soon, she will have missed the opportunity to re-start the trade discussion. She readied herself, thinking quickly of some way to lead into the conversation.

"You are restless," Nicomek said, interrupting her thought. "Either it's the stew which is upsetting you," he said wryly, "or you wish to continue our earlier discussion." Nicomek's servant paused from gathering the dishes; he looked to his master who waved in return, signaling that he would be allowed to listen in.

"Yes," Teyla said. Realizing her answer was ambiguous she quickly added, "That is, I would like to continue our earlier discussion."

"I agree," Nicomek said, "But I think we both also agree the price is too high."

Teyla fidgeted minutely. "I may be able to reduce my price slightly, but I cannot accept an unfair offer."

"Two hundred and ten is the most it is worth," Nicomek offered.

"Two hundred and fifty," Teyla countered.

Nicomek sighed heavily, "Two hundred and ten," he said. "Even that is slightly above fair market price."

Teyla bit her lip uncertainly. It could be possible the market value had changed slightly.

"Agreed," Teyla said in concession.

Something in the room changed suddenly. The bright and warm tent turned cold, and the sunshine which bled through the fibers of the tent turned to twilight. A cold feeling came over Teyla and memories began to be drawn to the surface. These memories were feelings, things from the past which were embedded deeply into her subconscious. It was the kind of memory which was powerful and vivid when called up, but only stayed a moment. She felt the memory of fear, of anger, the pain of loss. Her skin began to feel as though it was ice cold, even though the tent was unbearably warm. Her breath caught and she momentarily sat still with her mouth agape.

There was a multitude of dissonant voices, each speaking without words. All the feelings, voices, and emotions of thousands became mixed, yet there was a common thread among them all.

Hunger

Teyla focused and forced her mind out of that dark place. As quickly as it happened, the environment around her returned to normal.

"Teyla?" Nicomek asked. "Are you well?"

Though the cold and darkness had departed, the familiar and terrible feeling remained. She knew there were Wraith nearby-many of them.


	2. The Battle

Teyla heard a sharp noise which made her flinch. The noise sounded like a high pitched rhythmic tone, not unlike the sounds Lantean technology would make.

"What is that?" Teyla asked, her tone was abrupt to mask the fear which had crept over her.

Nicomek reached into the upper part of his robe and retrieved something small and circular shaped. The object was glowing green and flashing as it made the sound.

"Wraith darts have been detected exiting the stargate," Nicomek said seriously.

The servant bolted to the end of the table where Teyla was sitting. "I need to stand here," the servant said, trying to be polite while expressing the extreme urgency. Teyla stood up and backed away to the corner of the tent.

Nicomek and his servant picked up the table and moved it to one side. They knelt down and rolled away the thick carpet covering the ground. Teyla was intrigued to see a hatch framed by thick wood beams underneath the floor.

Nicomek opened the hatch and let the lid fall, kicking up a cloud of dust. He gestured for Teyla to follow. "We will need to get to the armory quickly."

"You intend to fight?" Teyla asked.

Nicomek stared at Teyla, his face showed a fear and determination which she had never seen in him before. "I intend for my family and servants to stay alive," he said as he began to descend a ladder into the hole.

"Nicomek wait," Teyla called. Nicomek paused. "I sense many Wraith nearby," she explained, "perhaps even a hive ship."

Nicomek and his servant looked at each other gravely. "Goi'im," Nicomek addressed, "Gather my family and the rest of the servants and bring them here," he said. "Under no circumstances are you to allow this entrance to be discovered."

The servant nodded, "I understand," he said gravely. Nicomek continued climbing down into the hole while Teyla followed. The hole was deeper than expected, and it took a small effort to reach the bottom. It continued getting darker, until finally the hatch above closed, leaving them in darkness.

Teyla heard a sharp click, and the area illuminated with a soft yellow glow. They were standing at the end of a large tunnel, the sides of which were relatively smooth and composed entirely of rock.

"This way," Nicomek directed, moving swiftly away.

"Where are you taking me?" Teyla asked as she followed. "What is this place?"

"We do not disclose the existence of these tunnels to outsiders. It is never certain through whom this information could fall into the wrong hands."

Teyla supposed it made sense that they would have some means of escaping Wraith cullings.

"That device," Teyla said, gesturing to the small green pendant he was still holding. "What is that?"

"A communication stone," Nicomek explained.

"Did your people design it?" Teyla wondered. She couldn't imagine such a thing being built by these agrarian people, but she had been wrong about that before in other circumstances.

"We trade with many worlds and cultures," he explained, "Some more advanced than others."

Excluding the Lanteans, Teyla wasn't aware of any worlds which could build that sort of thing other than the Genii, and they were unwilling to trade their technology. She supposed there were still many worlds unexplored by her people and even the people from Earth.

They didn't travel far before came across other people who were entering the tunnel through small adjacent tunnels. Teyla was amazed to see several people, men women and children crawling out of a small pipe leading into the wall, the size of which was barely enough to allow someone to crawl through.

"We have concealed entrances to this complex located all around the city," Nicomek explained. "All able bodies will be given the option to take up arms. All else who make it down here will be given the option to take refuge in one of the many chambers."

He stopped walking and stood in the middle of the hall; Teyla did the same. "You should join the others, it would be safer."

"Perhaps," Teyla said. "But if I can get to the stargate, I can contact Atlantis and let them know what's going on. They may be able to drive the wraith away."

"Ah, I suspected the city had not been destroyed."

Teyla realized her mistake in words, probably on account of the chaos around her. Still, she felt that information would be safe with him.

"The stargate will be heavily guarded," he said, "it is the point at which the wraith will be invading. How do you expect to access it?"

Teyla couldn't answer. Given the circumstances, she knew it may be better to wait until it was safe.

"Perhaps not," she said.

They continued a short distance and turned the corner into a large chamber with a low ceiling. Inside, there were racks with weapons. All of the weapons were of different design. On one rack there were wraith stunners, on another there were Genii style weapons. Other racks were a mixture of weapons, some of which looked like they were from Earth.

"Are you armed?" Nicomek asked?

"Only a knife," Teyla said, "I did not anticipate needing anything more on this trip."

"Here," Nicomek said as he tossed her a wraith stunner. "I know you are capable with weapons, you can help defend this place."

Everything shook violently, sending both of them to the ground. Dust fell from the ceiling and all around. The racks of weapons fell over, causing everything to scatter. The explosions repeated again and again. Teyla counted six…seven…eight…explosions and continuing.

"They are firing from their ships!" Nicomek shouted above the trembling.

Outside in the passageway, people began running through in one direction as though fleeing.

"They've breached the tunnels!" someone shouted above the chaos.

Teyla stood up and brushed herself off. Nicomek took a little longer to pick himself up, and each movement caused his face to contort in pain.

"Are you injured?" Teyla asked. She noticed only then that he was favoring his right arm.

"It will not kill me," Nicomek said quietly. "They did not fire randomly around the city as they have before." Nicomek said. "They knew exactly where we were."

The flow of people in the hallway reversed direction, this time both men and women rushing into the armory.

"What has happened?" Nicomek shouted. One of the men stopped to answer.

"The southeast main tunnel system has been breached, We are going to set up a barricade to prevent them from going any further."

Nicomek took the pendant from his pocket and spoke to it. "Make sure everyone is relocated from the south end. We're setting up a barricade, but we don't know if it will hold, so move quickly." He picked up a wraith stunner from the ground. "We will collapse the southeast tunnel once everyone is moved out of there. Teyla followed Nicomek as he rushed abruptly out of the room.

The stakes had changed; now she was fighting for her life along with everyone else there. She rushed through the tunnels, the scenes in front of her becoming surreal, like a strange dream. She saw in front of her through the flickering light, the faces of scared and terrified people, young children following behind, more excited than terrified. She noticed one child standing alone in a dark corner crying. She thought to stop and help, but realized she would lose sight of Nicomek if she did. She hoped someone would stop to help him.

She reached the barricade where the men had set up bags of sand and bits of collapsed rock as a barrier, providing enough cover for twelve to fight. Teyla took a position near the front with her back to one of the barriers. Once the last of them had settled, there was an eerie silence, the dust in the air seeming to suffocate as it visibly settled onto everything.

"What's the status of the explosives?" Nicomek asked quietly into his communicator, causing Teyla to jump.

Someone replied in the local language, which Teyla couldn't decipher over the radio.

"They're saying a few minutes, hopefully we won't have to fight at all," Nicomek reported. The sound of heavy footfalls echoing through the damaged tunnel reached everybody's ears, meaning Nicomek's hope would go unfulfilled. Everyone crouched still behind the makeshift barriers, waiting for the order to fire.

The sound of footfalls stopped, and for an uncomfortably long time there was utter silence on both sides. Without cause or warning, one set of footsteps set out, slowly approaching their position. The one was followed by many, approaching slowly and cautiously. Teyla looked to Nicomek, wondering when he would give the order to attack. The wraith approached closer, and yet he did not show any sign.

They were very close now, within ten feet even of the first barrier, and yet, none of them even flinched.

When the first of the wraith passed by the first barrier, Teyla looked to Nicomek, astonished that he hadn't given the order yet. When she saw him, he wasn't looking at the wraith which were passing by only feet away, he was staring straight ahead, sweating and nervous, but as if oblivious to the enemy. Teyla looked to the woman across from her, and she too was staring straight ahead as if she didn't even see the wraith there.

The wraith fighters were composed of a group of drones and their handler. The leader stopped in the middle of the group of barricades and produced an explosive device from his inner coat. Teyla couldn't just stand by and let this happen, she quickly fired the stunner at the leader, causing him to crumple to the ground before he had a chance to activate the bomb.

Just as the leader hit the ground, every one of the fighters there became aware of the wraith in their presence, their eyes all coming to attention at once. The reaction was swift and only two fighters were stunned before all the remaining drones were shot.

Nicomek, who was visibly upset, took the task of raising his head above the barrier searching around the immediate area. Once he signaled clear, everyone stood up.

"Why did you wait so long to give the order?" Teyla demanded. Nicomek looked shaken and hesitated to respond.

"I-did not see them," he said in a manner which suggested embarrassment. "It was as if they simply appeared."

"The explosive is set," the communicator buzzed. Everyone took that as a hint to leave and set off down the tunnel.

Teyla's past experiences with wraith had shown her that they were very clever at creating illusions and manipulating perception. Perhaps her unique-_gifts_ had prevented her from being fooled.

* * *

_-iIi-_

The Lantean sunset was a stunning display of colors. The western sky was vibrant orange near to the horizon, fading to a dark blue overhead, and turning into a starry black in the eastern sky. John sat on the farthest reach of the eastern pier, his feet dangling twenty feet over the water. It wasn't often he had time to relax like this with him being continually called out for missions. It seemed whatever time he had on Atlantis was either resting, or recovering from an injury just in time to do it all over again. He couldn't complain about that; he liked what he did. The amazement that stepping through the stargate caused hadn't faded the slightest since the first time he traveled through. He supposed it was just in his nature to seek adventure; getting paid to do it was just a bonus. The stars which were appearing as the sun fell lower behind the horizon fascinated him. It gave him a sense of satisfaction knowing some of what was out there, but he still knew there was much to the galaxy to be explored. He supposed that curiosity and amazement was what in part motivated him to continue.

The sound of the waves lapping against the wall below lulled him. He closed his eyes and let his mind meander around his imagination. The wind blew a swift breeze to his back, enough to make him sway. He opened his eyes quickly and backed away from the edge. John looked in the direction of the wind and saw towering clouds just to the north, appearing in his view from behind the tall buildings. Lightning flashed, the thunder following close behind.

John stood up and began walking back to the transporter. The ship landing pad was one of his favorite places to visit in his off time. It was wide open with nobody around, and no guard rails on the edge; just the margin of danger he liked. He hurried his pace when he saw a wall of rain advancing across the city. He barely made it to a covered alcove when the rain started pouring. He was fortunate only the top of his head and shoulders were wet.

"Colonel Sheppard to the control room," the radio operator's voice said over the headset. The sudden interruption startled him and made his heart rate jump, as though preparing for danger.

"Understood," John said, quickening his pace to the transporter. It wasn't a common thing for him to be summoned on his off time unless something was _really_ wrong, although he still hoped it was something minor.

As he arrived in the gate room, the atmosphere cast a sense of foreboding. The light coming in through the windows had dimmed to a dark gray. Lightning flashed nearby with the sound of the thunder dampened by the city's thick walls.

At the top of the steps in the control room, Dr. Weir stood along with someone John recognized as one of their off-world allies.

What concerned him was Dr. Weir's expression. Her face showed worry, the kind which only happened when whatever the cause was personal.

Halling stood confronting her. His stance was obviously panicked, but well tempered.

From this, Sheppard almost had an idea of what was going on. He felt a panicked anxiety as he climbed the steps to meet them. He wanted his thoughts to be proven wrong, but he knew Halling's visit wouldn't prove to be something minor.

"What's going on?" Sheppard asked gravely.

"It's Teyla," Halling replied hurriedly. "Several hours ago, she was called on to negotiate a trade agreement with the people of Mistra. Two Athosians went after her when she hadn't returned at the set time. Only a few minutes ago, the two we sent out returned." Halling ceased speaking, his eyes growing distant. "Mitstra had suffered an attack from the wraith. They hadn't found Teyla."

John felt a terrible sinking feeling in his stomach. It was the kind of feeling that made getting punched in the gut seem pleasant. John was already prepared for what to do next.

"Send a probe," he said abruptly. "If it looks good, I'll take a jumper and me and Ronon will search."

"It's already being done," Weir said. John noticed that down in the gate room, a few people were busy positioning a MALP in front of the gate. "Ronon is already waiting for you," she added.

"Halling," Dr. Weir said calmly, "If the two you sent returned, it's likely Teyla also made it too."

"Not to mention she's pretty good at defending herself." Sheppard added.

"Halling averted his eyes to the ground and shook his head. "The two we sent arrived there only after the wraith left, The city was in ruins."

Sheppard refused to be discouraged. He knew Teyla made it through; that was going to be his assumption until all evidence proved otherwise.

"Colonel Sheppard," Halling said, "If you're going to mount a rescue, I insist that I come along."

"All right, But you have to do as I say. You realize we may be walking right into a battle?"

"Do you realize?" Halling said harshly, "that it was me that sent her there in the first place?"

"Yes," Sheppard replied with equal tone, "I know exactly how it is."

Sheppard broke away and proceeded to the ready room to gather the equipment he would need. He loaded himself down with more ammunition than was standard, however he felt the extra weight may be justified.

Halling and Ronon were already in the jumper bay, waiting for him to arrive. He felt slightly annoyed that he was the last one to be ready for a rescue, but none of them said anything. With few words, he opened the cargo door of one of the jumpers and fired up the systems as soon as he sat at the control chair.

Once, the ship was in a hover, he guided the small gate-ship down through the retracting ceiling and in front of the active gate.

"Colonel Sheppard," Elizabeth's voice said over the radio. "The MALP shows no activity and no life signs in the immediate area of the gate."

"Understood," Sheppard said. He guided the jumper swiftly into the stargate, hearing no noise and feeling no pull. He cloaked immediately and directed the ship to fly straight up after reaching the opposite side. The view in the windscreen was black, dotted with stars which moved minutely as the direction the ship was traveling changed. The view almost reminded him of flying in space except the stars were much dimmer, their light blocked by a thick atmosphere.

"That should be high enough," Sheppard said pointing the nose toward the horizon. The land spread out flat in front of them as far as they could see. Below them they could see the lights of a city situated next to a river which glimmered calmly with moonlight.

John called up the jumper's sensors to search for Teyla's locator. The sensor sweep returned no locators and the life signs detector showed multiple human signs, but no wraith.

"Sensors didn't pick up Teyla's locator." John announced. He glanced at Halling, who was waiting anxiously behind him. "That doesn't mean she's not here," he added, "The signal could be blocked by thick walls or rock." John knew perfectly well it would take several hundred feet of rock to block the signals from one of their locators; he didn't feel like acknowledging that either to himself or to Halling just yet.

"I'm going turn around to set the ship down next to the stargate, we'll continue to search on foot. Maybe some of the locals would know what happened to her."

He turned the ship around and descended rapidly to a soft landing in front of the stargate.

"I'll take point," John announced as he jumped up from the controls and walked through to the rear hatch. He opened the back door, causing warm humid air to rush in making his skin feel uncomfortably cold.

He stepped cautiously out of the ship, his gun at the ready in case of danger. Ronon followed, his gun aimed at the ground.

The area around them seemed to be paved around the stargate and around them were trees which looked like palms. The pavement was actually stones lined up together like tiles, leaving a slightly uneven surface which traveled in a direction away from the stargate and toward the city.

He heard a noise, a bright flash of light. He had just enough time to recognize an attack with a wraith stunner before he lost all his senses.

Something was poking him. He waved his hand as if to dismiss this annoying intrusion into his personal space. Then he remembered what had just happened. Something poked his forehead again and this time he grabbed the hand of his attacker and jolted himself awake.

"Easy," Ronon said. John blinked, then sat down and rubbed his eyes which were still aching.

"Where are we?" Sheppard asked. His voice cracked on account of his dry throat. He tried to look around, but the surroundings were dark, although he did see flashing patterns of white behind his eyes. He sat up on the hard stone floor, situating his head less awkwardly on the stone wall behind him.

"We're underground," Halling's voice stated. Based on the cold air and musty smell, John could buy that.

"Hey uh, is it dark in here, or am I blind?" Sheppard asked.

"There's a little bit of light," Ronon said, "but not much." John shrugged, he supposed that would be the least thing to worry about.

"Well, at least we're not on a hive ship," Sheppard stated. "Has anyone been by?"

"I've heard people nearby," Halling said. "I heard them speaking the language of Mistra."

"So, we're still on the same planet?" Sheppard clarified. "Well, that's good news. You're friends with them, so you can just explain this misunderstanding when they talk to us."

A door swung open suddenly, and a figure appeared in the doorway, illuminated only from behind by a dim reflected orange light. John then noticed the bars separating him from the doorway. Ok, so that means of escape wasn't available.

"We don't treat looters kindly," a rough voice said. His speech was heavily accented. "I find it deplorable that you would try to take advantage of us at our weakest."

"Woah," Sheppard interjected, "Looters? What gave you that idea?"

"My men brought you here, saying you had come through the stargate to steal what little remains of our wealth."

"We couldn't have Nicomek," Halling said. "We hadn't taken two steps on your world before we were attacked."

The man didn't reply immediately, and waited a second before speaking again. "Halling?" the man asked.

"It is me," Halling said. The man in the doorway called something out in his language.

"What'd he say?" Sheppard asked.

"He called for a guard," Halling explained. Someone else entered the room, walking directly to the bars and unlatching the door. A light turned on, once again blinding John.

"Halling," the man said. John tried to remember what the name was. "I'm terribly sorry for this. My men were being far too overzealous in attacking you outright."

"I do not believe you meant harm," Halling said. Halling stood up slowly and seemed to attempt to greet the man. John noticed the man's arm was in a sling and his face was well bandaged.

"All of you, please," the man seemed to gesture to the door. John stood up, and staggered out of the cell followed by Ronon and Halling. They were led a short distance through a dark stone hallway into an adjacent room.

"We have emergency rations and water," the man said, pointing to a small table with supplies laid out on it, "but not much in the way of decent food,"

"I'll take the water," Sheppard said. The man took a pitcher of water and handed him a cup. "I don't mean to be rude…" Sheppard started.

"You are looking for Teyla," the man finished. John could tell in the way he said it, that the man didn't have good news.

"Nickomek," Halling said. "I know you must be suffering greatly from this attack, but I need to know where Teyla is."

Nicomek looked solemly at the both of them. "She was taken," he said quietly.

"How do you know that?" Ronon said. "Did you see it happen?"

"I did," Nicomek said more forcefully, "along with several others of my people. Teyla had volunteered to help defend this hiding place. The wraith had breached the southeast tunnels. Myself along with Teyla and several others had success in evacuating those parts and stopping the enemy so we could collapse the tunnel.

After only a short while, the wraith breached the southwest tunnels. We divided the men into two groups. We had already collapsed one tunnel, and were about to do the other when a weapon was thrown into our midst. Half of the men became incapacitated. Before we knew what was happening, the explosive had been disarmed, and there were only two men remaining with me."

"What happened then?" Sheppard asked.

Nicomek didn't answer immediately, and stared out, visualizing something in his mind.

"We retreated farther into the tunnel and collapsed it farther in."

"So you ran away to protect yourself?" Ronon accused, his tone and stance showing aggression.

John normally would have protested at such an accusation, but he was having trouble processing what he was hearing. He looked to Nicomek, expecting him to become enraged, but he didn't.

"To protect the rest of my people," he said with a strangely calm tone of voice. "We lost just under a hundred people in that section. Do not think it was a light decision, and do not think I am without loss. My son was among those counted dead, fed upon."

"Was Teyla among them?" Halling asked gravely.

"I'm sorry," Nicomek said. "We searched in the isolated sections after the wraith left, and only found a few bodies. We did not find Teyla."

The four of them stood there, motionless. Nobody made a sound for what seemed close to a minute. John's mind was reeling. He just couldn't seem to accept that there was nothing else to be said, nothing else to be done. Teyla must be here somewhere, perhaps trapped or injured, but alive. He wasn't going to give up just yet.

Finally, John couldn't take it anymore.

"Let's go," Sheppard said. "Please show us to the stargate."

Nicomek began to lead the way out. Sheppard followed, but he was stopped by Ronon who grabbed his shoulder.

"You're not giving up are you?" Ronon asked. Disbelief and anger were written all over his face.

"Not just yet," Sheppard said, "but we need to leave now."

Ronon seemed to understand what he was saying, because he let go, allowing John to continue.

"I'm getting conflicting messages here," Dr. Weir said from across her desk. Her eyes had dark circles around them, her general mood and posture displayed how tired she was. John hadn't realized they were gone for five hours. He never liked it when Dr. Weir was worried over them. She seemed to handle it better as time went on, but every time a team didn't return on time, she became anxious and had trouble sleeping. He took her mood as a queue that he should tread lightly in this argument.

"I'm just saying we can't be sure that he's not hiding something."

Dr. Weir put her head in her hands, her elbows resting on the desk. "Halling, what do you think?" she addressed.

Up to that point, Halling had remained silent in the matter. By the way he looked, John half expected him to burst out in a rage, but all he did was stare blankly.

"I don't believe Nicomek would lie," Halling said. "He was a good friend of Teyla's father and with Teyla. He always treated the Athosians respectfully."

Dr. Weir looked back to John. "Why do you think you can justify a military search of that place?"

"Look," Sheppard said, much more forcefully than he wanted. He paused and allowed his temper and his voice to lower to a more agreeable level. "This is Teyla we're talking about here, wouldn't you want to do the same for any of us?"

"I can't justify to myself or to anyone at Stargate Command that a military solution is necessary. From what you said, they treated you politely once they saw that you weren't enemies. I'm not in the business of starting wars where it's not necessary, I'm sorry Colonel, I can't allow it."

John couldn't believe what he was about to argue. His mouth started moving, but his mind was telling him desperately to shut up.

"I'm the military commander on this base," Sheppard said, "Those men are under my authority, and I can order them to do whatever I think is necessary to defend this base and our people."

Dr. Weir looked shocked, but quickly regained composure. "The stargate is under my authority, and without my permission or that of Stargate Command, you cannot move those men through that gate." She pointed out the window to the stargate as she spoke.

John wanted to argue more, but he realized anything more said would only deteriorate the situation and achieve nothing.

"Now, please," Weir said gesturing toward the door. "Please show yourselves to your quarters. Halling, you can stay in your old room if you like, or you can return home."

Halling stood slowly, "I will return to Athos. I have to inform them of what I've learned." Halling walked out of Weir's office and over to the gate operator. Ronon walked out, looking frustrated, but also haggard and worn out. John supposed they all were.

In all honesty, John couldn't justify to himself going back to that planet with a military force. He had seen the destruction as he was being led out of the city to the stargate. The place was in ruins. Houses were on fire, people were wandering the streets looking for family members. John couldn't think of one reason those people would have to lie to them. The sweep with the jumper's sensors not turning up anything meant that Teyla probably wasn't there anymore. He hated to admit it, but it seemed the only thing to conclude. She could be dead for all he knew, or perhaps stuck aboard some hive ship, waiting unconsciously to be fed on. The thought was so horrible it he wouldn't entertain it, and if she was alive, there was still time to save her! But then there was the reality of his limitations. He had no idea where she was taken, and nowhere else to look.

John slouched in the chair, thinking of a way to apologize to Elizabeth for what he had said earlier. His mind raced between this and finding ways to find Teyla.

"I'm retiring for the remainder of the morning," Weir said, herself looking haggard. She walked out of her office, leaving John reclining there not sure what he was going to do next.


	3. One Friend

Teyla felt warm and comfortable. Her mind drifted happily among her dreams and memories calling up pleasant experiences. There was something outside this happy existence nagging her. She didn't want to acknowledge it, but it was becoming more persistent. The last thing she remembered was fighting the wraith so the people in the tunnel could escape before it was collapsed and isolated from the rest of the tunnel system.

There was an awful smell around her, something the dreams couldn't completely cover up. Teyla became alert, wakeful, yet unable to breach into consciousness. She began to panic slightly. She tried more forcefully to wake up, aided by her heart rate which seemed to increase. This was like no other time she had tried waking up. It felt as if she were immersed in warm water with her arms tied behind her back, trying to float her way to the surface.

Her eyes opened briefly, but closed again. What she saw during that brief moment etched into her mind, the image remaining even after her eyes had closed again. What she saw horrified her.

She was standing upright, looking out of an alcove in the wall. Across from her, a body, a decayed husk stood upright. She had seen this before, only from the outside. This looked like the inside of a wraith hive ship.

She willed the image to go away. Perhaps this was all a bad dream. She opened her eyes again, but the same scene was before her.

Her mind delved into desperation. She tried to call for help, but her lips remained sealed, yet in her mind's eye, she called loudly.

"Help!," She called into the ether of her mind. "Anyone!"

Voices responded, a multitude of voices, all of them ignoring her and going about their business. The voices grew louder all around her as if she were weaving through a crowd of people.

"Please!" she called, "somebody!"

This time, the voices quieted. Everything around her becomes dark and quiet. She was no longer stuck in that stasis pod, but standing somewhere private and comfortable.

She became aware of someone standing behind her. She wanted to turn around to see who it was, but was afraid to. The presence seemed to sense her fear and moved away, but remained nearby. She wanted to see who it was, but it was as if she couldn't move, she could only look straight ahead.

The presence spoke, not with audible words, but with feelings.

"Don't be afraid. Someone will be sent to help you."

Teyla wondered who was speaking. She tried to turn around but was prevented as if she couldn't move in that way. She decided to just stay still and calm, not wanting to return to the stasis pod.

"_Do as they ask. You will not be forced to betray your values or your people," it said inaudibly._

The presence remained there, but did not speak any further. Teyla didn't know the identity of this person, but it seemed to want to reassure her.

Was this just a dream?

Suddenly she was forced from that place. Her eyes jolted open, and she was tossed back into reality as someone is tossed into cold water.

In front of her, a wraith stood at eye level with her. Its yellow slit type eyes glaring widely at her. It hissed at her in disgust.

Teyla didn't have time to prepare for anything. Her heart slammed in her chest and her breaths were short and hurried. Her mind kept repeating, 'this is the end.'

She fell forward out of the stasis pod onto the cold soft floor in front. She collapsed, unable to move, staring at the feet of the wraith which was still standing over her.

"You are well enough to move now," it said in a grating double toned voice. "Get up."

The wraith grabbed Teyla and forced her to her feet. Her entire body was tingling pins and needles, but she found herself being pushed down a hallway, clumsily putting one foot in front of the other.

The hallway was long, lined with stasis pods just like the one she'd been in.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, her voice hoarse and cracked.

The wraith didn't answer, but only pushed her again. It took considerable effort not to fall down as she stumbled.

As she was being led through the ship, she saw that all the walls, floors and ceilings looked the same. The hallways were cave like, but instead of rock, the floors and walls were some dark colored soft material, slimy in appearance but leathery to the touch. The light was dim, alternating between orange in some parts, and blue in others.

Teyla tried to calm down, thinking of the other times she had been in a similar situation. She thought of all the times she and her team escaped from wraith captivity, but weight of the situation fell on her. She was alone now and there was nobody looking out for her.

Teyla couldn't keep track of how far they'd walked. She tried looking out for landmarks, or possibly means of escape, but nothing seemed to follow a straight line. Also, her mind was acting slowly. She tried to brush off the drowsiness, but couldn't. It occurred to her the stasis pods might inject a sort of drug to keep their occupants calm.

The hallways became wider and taller as they walked. The macabre atmosphere of the other parts of the ship became replaced by what seemed like decoration. The usual black slimy walled hallways were replaced by those with patterns of colored decoration.

Teyla was led through a large doorway into a large hall. She looked upward. The ceiling reached farther than the light from the walls could reach, causing it to look like a black abyss. The wraith leading her jerked her shoulder backward, ordering her to stop. She looked behind her, wondering what was happening. Two drones moved to block the exit, while the one who was leading her stood at attention.

Two wraith occupied the center of the room, one was standing, and the other was sitting in what looked like an elaborate chair. The one standing was male, wearing a long black leather overcoat. His appearance was typical of what she had seen other wraith wearing. The identity of the other wraith was immediately apparent to Teyla. It was the hive's queen.

The two of them seemed to be involved in a whispered argument. Teyla could barely hear the words being spoken, and what she did hear sounded like a rough guttural speech. She supposed it was a wraith language.

The queen became suddenly agitated and raised her voice at the other. The other departed swiftly, seeming to smirk contently as he walked. The drones moved out of the way, clearing the exit for him. The one who had been speaking with the queen slowed his pace and regarded her momentarily before passing out of sight.

The queen's attention went toward Teyla. She rose from her throne and walked fluidly toward her. The queen regarded her, her yellow slit type eyes showing arrogance and haughtiness. Her pale bluish green face was absent of any markings which were common on other wraith. Her hair was black, and went straight down to her shoulders to which Teyla's eye level just exceeded.

The cold damp air made her want to shiver, yet she suppressed it. She straightened her back and tried to appear defiant, not allowing fear to show through.

"She will be adequate," the queen said with a tone of disgust. She gestured to the other standing behind her who she heard move and exit the room. The queen began to pace slowly around her.

Teyla wasn't sure what this wraith wanted with her, but she very much disliked being referred to as if she were some common trading item.

"Do you know why you have been called here?" the queen asked.

"I do not," she responded, her voice still hoarse.

"You are here because I am in need of a servant."

"Why me?" she asked, trying her best to sound unafraid.

"I desired someone with your profile. I described what I wanted to one of my subjects, and ordered him to retrieve one from among the recent arrivals. Additionally, we are aware of your actions in the tunnel system on Mistra."

"I will not serve you," She said bluntly. "I will die before serving you." Surely torture was the result of that attitude, but serving wraith was one thing she would never do.

"You have the spirit of a warrior," the queen said, "such is what I desired in choosing a servant for myself."

"I won't be your servant!" Teyla said, her voice hoarse to the point that she spoke no louder than a whisper. "I will die!"

The queen stepped closer to her, her face only inches from her own. "You will not," she said, showing off her sharp predator teeth. "You will do as you are told."

She resumed pacing. "In any case, I have ways of swaying your feelings, but I believe that will not be necessary."

"I will not sway," Teyla said loudly and confidently.

"Take her," the queen said abruptly. The wraith behind her pushed her again, leading her away from that place, further through the ship into a hallway lined with prison cells. The door of one of the cells parted open to admit her.

The wraith shoved Teyla inside, throwing her on the floor, the door closing quickly before she could protest or make a move to escape. She sat still for a time, cold, shivering and unsure what to do with herself.

This part of the ship was very quiet, which bothered her. The silence seemed to be a form of torture, although that may have simply been the circumstances making it seem that way.

* * *

_-iIi-_

Rodney stopped in front of the fruit stand and set his tray down on the counter. He made a face upon seeing the selection of fruit. There was nothing but canned fruit imported from Earth. He missed the fresh vegetables and fruit which they had been growing on the mainland. Apparently the seasons wouldn't allow growing crops continuously, so they were experiencing a shortage in fresh food.

Disappointed, he picked up his tray and walked off to find a table outside. He stepped through the doors leading to the balcony off of the dining hall. Outside, the Lantean sky was light blue and hazy.

The colonel was sitting off in a corner by himself. He couldn't remember seeing Sheppard since the news about Teyla's disappearance, and debated whether he should go ask about any new leads or developments.

Curiosity won out, and he walked casually over to where Sheppard was sitting.

"Want some company?" he asked brightly. Sheppard didn't even move and continued staring out over the ocean. He turned his head and looked out over the water to see if he could spot whatever had the Colonel's attention. Despite searching diligently, he couldn't see anything.

He sat down tentatively, afraid that his presence might be suddenly unwanted.

"So uh…" He started, clearing his throat to buy time to find something to say.

Sheppard still didn't look at him.

"How's the-you know-coming along?"

"No leads yet Rodney," Sheppard deadpanned. "If we had found anything, you'd be one of the first to know."

"Right," he said awkwardly. "I mean, I'm sure you know I'm almost as anxious as you are to-to find her."

"How bout you?" Sheppard asked.

"Hm?" he said, wondering what the Colonel was referring to.

"How's the search for your super-weapon coming along?"

"Oh, uh, it's going along. I've developed a program which will search the most remote parts of the database to look for potential hits."

"What exactly are we talking about?"

"Well, to be honest, and this is one of the few instances where I'll say this, but I don't know. It was something the Ancients spent a lot of resources on, we know the date of all the known records coincides with the start of the Lantean-Wraith war, but other than that we have no Idea."

"Sounds pretty big," Sheppard said. "I really hope it pans out for you Rodney." he sighed deeply. "I really hope those bastards get what's coming to them."

"It's really bothering you isn't it?"

"Yeah," Sheppard said, finally turning to face Rodney, "It is. I don't know why I should care so much about it, I mean we're not even from this galaxy, these aren't our own people." He gestured his hands around and scowled, as if he were trying to portray his emotion. "I just can't rest knowing what's happening to these people, what happened to Teyla, Ford, Sumner, and all the rest."

"Well, It may surprise you, but I also, feel the same way about it. I mean," he stammered, "I uh, that is to say, "I have the same sentiment, I just go about it in a different way."

Sheppard was a military man, and a man of action, whereas he was a scientist, and a man of learning. They probably both felt the same way, but they addressed their desire to do something in very different ways.

Both of them sat there silently for a time. Finally Sheppard stood up and walked away, leaving Rodney to eat his turkey sandwich.

* * *

_-iIi-_

As evening time rolled around, Rodney wandered in the direction of his laboratory. He decided it might be good for inspiration to walk the long way instead of taking the transporter. Most of the ship was vacant in the space between transporters, leaving plenty of peace and quiet to think.

He walked along the hallway leading from the central spire to one of the adjacent buildings. The sun shone through the south-west facing windows, causing specs of dust in the air to reflect, probably because the ventilation in that section was left off in order to conserve power.

He thought of his conversation with Sheppard earlier that day. Seeing Sheppard like that really disturbed him. Normally the man was calm and lighthearted, even after some of the most extreme circumstances they'd been in as a team. His reaction to Teyla's disappearance made Rodney examine his own emotions and motivations.

When he first heard Teyla had gone missing, he was concerned, but he didn't think it was important enough to go along for the rescue mission. After all, Sheppard and Ronon could probably handle it alone. Instead he stayed behind and continued working on his stupid project, thinking she could take care of herself.

"Well, they did handle it by themselves," Rodney said quietly to himself. "She wasn't even there! And this isn't a stupid project; it's probably one of the most important things I've worked on to date." "Still," he sighed, "I feel like a jerk."

"Probably because you _are_ a jerk," he said in third person. "You should have gone along with them, at least to search."

"What?" he said loudly, "I am not a…"

One of the expedition's engineers walked out of a doorway right where Rodney was carrying on talking to himself. The man slowed and glanced strangely at him, then continued on his way.

Rodney stood still, embarrassed and unsure if he should try to explain what he was saying. He groaned, fully expecting to catch crap about the incident later from Zelenka or one of the other scientists.

Rodney poked his head into the room the technician had been working in. Inside, were what looked like ancient washing machines. Their design looked like they worked almost identically to Earth made appliances. He supposed there was only so much improvement you could make to something like a washing machine. After a certain point, it just _works._

An idea came to mind, spurred on by seeing the ancient washing machines. He dismissed it and smirked to himself. The smirk faded, his slight amusement replaced by inspiration and excitement. He ran out of there and bolted through the hallway toward the nearest transporter. He slowed down after only a few dozen steps when his side began to hurt.

"Ow, ow, ow," he said as he limped along. He was too excited to stop; he had just found a way to solve his problem!

* * *

_-iIi-_

Teyla awoke as though startled. She opened her eyes and stared straight ahead; from that she could see she was lying on her side. Across from her was the wall of her small cell. It was as if the walls in their macabre sliminess were reminding her that she was trapped, that she was a prisoner here. Her ability to sense wraith nearby had dulled with the presence of so many. There was no longer any effect from it, just as had happened the last time she'd been aboard a hive ship.

She sat up and pushed herself over to the side of the cell. She touched the wall, testing it before resting her back against it. It felt solid, warm, and leathery rather than slimy like it appeared.

The burden of her situation came crashing down on her. She was more than a prisoner, she had been chosen as a servant. The emotions of fear, the separation from her family, all built up, too much for her to handle. She began to weep, but not audibly. She stared at the ground as the tears ran down her cheek, falling on the ground beside her.

There was no call for this. Her friends in Atlantis, her family would not give up so quickly! They would be looking for her; they would find a way to save her.

She resolved that she would disappoint her new 'masters.' Whatever they demanded she do, she would refuse. She noted the torture they could make her endure, but she resolved to stay strong to the last.

But what if she couldn't endure it? What if the wraith were able to cause someone to succumb to their will involuntarily? Would they take it as far as to crush her spirit to the point where there was nothing of her remaining? She had seen what methods the wraith could employ to force someone into servitude. She had seen how their minds could be altered, as if their spirit had been fragmented, leaving only the parts the wraith wanted to see. She willed to think of herself as stronger than that, but was she really?

"I will endure," she said softly, her voice echoing through the area.

What seemed like hours passed, and she was becoming very hungry. She had no idea how long she'd been kept in stasis, or how long she'd been waiting there. The stress of the situation was taking its toll on her body and she was finding herself almost unable to stay awake. She must have not slept very long earlier. That sleep must have been forced, an after effect of stasis.

The ether of silence was removed by footsteps approaching. She stood up, readying herself for whatever approached.

This time, a man, a human approached in the cell doors, behind him, two drones stood armed. The man looked younger, possibly in his thirties. His hair was short and dark colored and well combed. He was carrying something in his hands. He touched something on the wall, causing the door to open.

"Who are you?" she demanded, "What do you want?"

"I am here to ensure you are aware of what's expected of you," he said, his tone bored and matter of fact. He tossed the things he was carrying on the floor. The sound they made as they hit the floor told her that they were clothes.

"If these sizes don't fit, we have others to choose from."

Teyla looked at the clothing disgustedly, knowing where they must have come from.

"No," he said, smirking, "That's not where the clothing is sourced; these have never been worn before." Her disgust must have shown, and she made it a point to not allow her emotions to be read so easily. "In any case, I am here to acquaint you with your responsibilities."

"And what is that?" Teyla asked, uncertain what to make of this new person.

"You have been chosen by the queen to be her personal servant, that is essentially it, along with a few other things like tending to her every whim." He paused, rolling his eyes upward. "Accommodating unwise requests," he said, seeming to address the ceiling.

"On a more serious note," he continued, his face becoming very serious and his tone becoming more quiet. "Your experience from this point depends entirely on you. If you choose to be defiant and uncooperative, you will be miserable, and you won't ever see the outside of this cell. However if you choose to do as your told, you will be allowed certain privileges and freedoms."

"I will no.." Teyla began.

"Don't!" he interrupted, "I really don't want to hear it. Just promise me that I won't have to see you in this cell anymore."

Teyla stopped cold, mid-sentence. This man's wish to not see her locked up surprised her. She wondered if his wish was a desire to show kindness, or something else


	4. Day and Night

Morning and night melded aboard the ship. There was no way of discerning day or night cycles, no way to keep track of time. Teyla decided she would call whenever she woke up, 'morning,' and whenever she went to sleep, 'night.'

She chose to spend as much time as possible simply meditating. Of course keeping her mind occupied was the primary goal. She thought of times past, events from her memory which amused her. She imagined the varied and beautiful landscapes which she had encountered on her many travels, anything to keep herself from becoming despaired.

Even with the new clothing, she was beginning to feel disgustingly dirty. The clothing also was better suited to a hot dry climate, but made her continually cold aboard this ship which was just colder than comfortable.

She heard someone approaching again, tearing her mind away from the peace it had conjured to face whatever was coming. The same man from the previous 'day' approached the door. This time he was alone.

"Hello," he said flatly. He appeared as if he was being forced to do something he really didn't want to do.

"I'm here to familiarize you with the parts of the ship you will be expected to navigate, as well as your expected duties." The door parted open and he gestured for her to follow him.

She remembered their conversation the day before, and decided simply to follow him. She wasn't enthused at all about the idea of seeing the inside of a wraith hive ship, however she felt the need to get out and walk around.

"The first place you will need to be familiar with is the middle deck," he explained dully. He led her through the same route she was led through 'yesterday,' only in reverse. The layout of this part of the ship was wide and spacious. Although the walls were bare, they were decorated with swirling multi-color patterns which were quite pleasing to the eye.

"This is the part of the ship in which the queen resides," he explained. "Only the queen and her servants are allowed access to this section. The ship will recognize you and permit you to enter, but not exit without either the queen or myself allowing it."

Surely that was only a small circumstance which prevented her escape; she ignored it, passing it off as trivial. Could such a thing severely complicate a rescue?

They passed by a large arching doorway, the top reaching up so far it almost passed out of sight. "This is the queen's personal chamber," the man explained. "You are only allowed in with explicit permission."

She wanted to ask a question, but didn't know how to address the man.

"What is your name?" She asked. The man continued walking but angled his head to acknowledge her.

"Cheyetsat," he replied. "However I prefer Chey as it's much easier to pronounce."

"Chey," she repeated. "What will I be expected to do specifically?"

"Several things," he said. "As I explained to you last time, there is no concise description. Only be ready at all times to do as you are told. Those things may include listening to the thoughts of your mistress. With time and trust, you may be allowed to conduct some business in her stead, perhaps leave the ship at times to gather items of interest to her."

Her interest raised at that last sentence. "But," he qualified, "that is far into the future." She tried to force herself not to be discouraged by the continual degrading of circumstance.

He continued leading her through the ship, explaining this thing and that thing. Most of the time was spent simply navigating from one place to another aboard the ship. The interior layout of the hive was enormous, at least as big as Atlantis consisting of long hallways, and enormous cavern-like rooms and bays. It was amazing how the ship was laid out like a vast network of caves. Never considering it before, she began to see that wraith preferred to live in places that were cool, dark, and damp, just like a cave.

The tour of the ship lasted for several hours, which she estimated was the better part of the morning. After several hours, both Chey and herself had expressed interest in obtaining a meal. Chey explained where food could be obtained.

"There is a store-room in one of the lower parts of the ship," he explained, "It is where a relatively small quantity of food and fresh water is preserved and stored."

They were already out of the middle deck, and in all honesty, she had expected the tour to be more horrible than she had experienced. Most of what she saw was a sparsely populated ship.

"Are there any more of us on board? Servants," she added to clarify.

"No," Chey replied. "The last queen's servants were executed along with her, and she never allowed anyone else to keep human servants."

Her attention bolted to Chey. "Executed?" she asked, concern evident.

"Oh," Chey said, looking guilty. "It's nothing to be concerned about; happened a long time ago. Moving on." He said, obviously avoiding the subject. "Quick review," he said flippantly, "What will you be expected to do if the queen enters your presence suddenly?"

"I will kneel and avoid eye contact until she dismisses me or again leaves." she spouted off, just as he had explained earlier.

"Good," he said in a pleased way as they turned the corner into a narrow hall.

She felt sick by repeating such blather. What she really wanted to do was incapacitate the man and get off this ship. What she couldn't figure out was how. Previous times she'd been aboard a wraith vessel, Colonel Sheppard had been the one to provide a means of escape by scooping them up in a dart and flying them out of the ship. She seriously doubted she would be capable of piloting such a craft with any degree of safety.

It was becoming more and more clear, that her best chance of getting home would be to _stay alive_ and stay healthy. She knew her friends in Atlantis would be searching for her. She knew what lengths they would go to rescue one of their own. The one thing they needed though was _time_. She needed to give them the most time possible to find her, she knew they would eventually; they had to.

The environment became cold quickly as they proceeded through a particular door. The stasis pods she saw as she rounded the bend agitated her. She looked to her escort who slowed and came to a stop.

"I brought you here for a reason," he said, guiding her to turn around. "Remember where this is and avoid it." She thought it was obvious that she would want to avoid the stasis pods.

"It would be dangerous for you to be here for any length of time," he said, his words deadly serious. "All kinds of bad things could happen."

She looked to one of the stasis pods, and then over to him. She wondered how anybody who seemed as rational as him could possibly stand to serve the wraith who would do that to a human being. It didn't make any sense to her why he would stay with them so long. She figured they might have him addicted to the wraith enzyme, but that didn't add up seeing how calm and cognizant the man seemed.

"I don't understand it," she said, "Why do you do this?"

He stared at her, his expression unreadable.

"Why do you continue to serve the wraith knowing what they do to other people, knowing what they could do to you? Do you have no compassion on other people? Why this indifference to suff…"

"Quiet," he said in a forced whisper. He looked to his left and his right.

"Don't speak that way again," he said upon seeing nobody was present. "My reasons for being here are my own, and it is not your place to question it. All you need be concerned about is yourself right now. Should your behavior prove to be acceptable, you will not be subjected to brutality, and if not…"

He didn't complete the thought, but her imagination filled in the rest.

* * *

Teyla was unfortunate enough to find that her first expected task as a servant would also be the most dangerous and important she would likely see. The queen was meeting with another queen from a hive ship within the alliance.

Chey explained they would be discussing sharing of territory between their allotments. As the queen's personal servant, she would be expected to stand ready during the entire meeting. It was more of a symbol of power and status than it was for any practical reason. She loathed the thought of being slave to a wraith and being flaunted around as property. At times like this she began to question whether the alternative was really worse than this. Her friends were still trying to find her, and she needed to do her part to stay alive. That said, she drew a line for herself. She wouldn't follow any order forcing her to do something evil. If at any point during her time here, she was ordered to do something wrong, she would refuse. It would probably mean her death to openly refuse, but she would do what was necessary.

Teyla stood in the meeting hall, the area lit by candlelight which revealed the exquisite wooden furniture placed around. The setting of a wraith ship, mixed with the darkened atmosphere of the room gave her chills. She tried to convince herself that she already knew the worst of her situation, and that there was nothing unknown left to be afraid of.

Just as she had been ordered, she stood in the far corner, lurking just in the shadows. She quickly looked over the clothing that had been selected for her, searching for flaws. It seemed wraith were very fond of black leather, because most of them wore it as well as their servants. She had been given a long black shiny coat which reached almost to the floor. She didn't mind the style so much as the color. The polished black was harsh, reminding her too much of the wraith themselves.

She heard someone moving outside the room through the back door. She readied herself, staring blankly ahead when Chey appeared, waltzing into the room as if it were an informal setting.

"You didn't think you would be the only one having to stand around did you?" he said, probably upon seeing her surprise. "A multitude of trusted servants is more impressive than just one." He took position beside her, standing up tall and straightening his back.

"There are two of us," she pointed out, allowing a smirk. It was probably the only instance in a very long while that she had smiled.

"It's better than none," he returned, smiling. He wiped the grin off his face when the main doors opened and a procession of servants walked in.

The two monarchs strode elegantly into the room, surrounded by the human servants of the guest queen. She counted four servants accompanying the two queens. Suddenly she felt a little intimidated, wondering if she would be able to conduct herself properly and not draw attention to herself.

The other servants took position on the opposite side of the room, standing at attention while the two monarchs seated around the table. The guest took position to the right side of the host.

A discussion ensued in a language unintelligible to her. She wondered how similar or dissimilar the wraith language was from Ancient. They both used the same lettering system, but that alone didn't mean there was any significant similarity. Ancient was poetic and flowing, while wraith language seemed harsh and guttural.

A word was spoken by the guest which sounded almost familiar, like the Ancient word for 'friends,' or 'friendship.' Did that have anything to do with 'alliance?'

She listened carefully, looking for words which sounded familiar. The pronunciation was skewed, but she was sure she heard 'cattle.' Perhaps that was the way they referred to people.

More words were spoken that she recognized. _Alliance, territory, barter or trade, resources, secrecy; _it was the guest saying these things. The ship's monarch replied, speaking much more quietly and unintelligibly.

The discussion continued for a long time with her only picking up one or two words in each sentence. From what little she gathered, she imagined the visiting queen was proposing a secret alliance, where they would encroach on the other allotments within the broader alliance. Her interpretation was entirely conjecture based on what little she heard. The mood of the ship's queen indicated that she wasn't very enthused by whatever plan was being proposed.

Both of them ceased discussion and stood as if adjourning. The guest said something which made the other queen react oddly, looking surprised and a little agitated.

"Servant," the other queen said, gesturing to one of the women standing across the room. The young woman wasted no time in hurrying to stand nearby her mistress.

"You may want to look away," Chey muttered into her ear. "That servant has no idea what's about to happen to her."

"As a sign of our vow to secrecy," the other queen said, "I offer this servant." The servant's face paled, panic written in her visage.

The guest produced a knife, wielding it threateningly toward the servant. The young woman, clearly scared and close to the point of crying, turned away and faced the hive's queen.

The queen regarded her for a moment, looking her over as if deciding whether she was acceptable.

Teyla's heart was racing. She looked at the scene wide eyed, fearing that she would see the girl fed upon. Her thoughts earlier came back, taunting her. She vowed that she wouldn't carry out any order to do something evil, but what about standing idly by and watching it happen? Was inaction as bad as committing the act yourself? What would happen to herself if she were to intervene? Tortured, killed or worse surely. If she remained still, she would still have a chance to live; but what good was standing still? It would taunt her forever to go on knowing she had the power to make a change for good and had decided to do nothing.

It was her own life in the balance, and she had the power to at least _try_ and save that person.

The wraith gave a nod of acceptance. The servant closed her eyes tightly and turned her head, tilting her neck. The queen placed one hand on her shoulder, and another on her neck.

Teyla wasted no time, she bolted forward, crossing the distance in no time at all. She pushed the young woman out of the way, sending her to the floor and standing in her stead.

The queen's eyes opened wide and she hissed in a horrible animal like way.

Teyla stood ready, waiting to attempt to defend herself. It would be unsuccessful, but she would try.

Her knees became weak, suddenly no longer able to support her weight. She fell to her knees, the impact sending pain through her legs and jarring her teeth.

"What insolence is this?" the guest said. "Are all your servants so undisciplined?"

Teyla turned her head with much difficulty and looked to Chey. He was standing immobile, staring straight ahead as if she didn't even exist.

"This behavior is surprising," the queen said, "I did not expect her to react this way."

She could only wonder how the queen expected her to react to seeing someone preparing to be fed on.

The guest walked to her left and around to face her. She looked at her, as if scrutinizing her appearance.

"Have I seen this servant before?" she asked interestedly.

"It is unlikely," the queen said. "She hasn't been with me very long."

The guest continued to stare, seeming as if something was confusing her.

"In any case," the queen continued, "I don't think it's necessary to continue the ritual. You should depart before others become aware of our meeting."

"Very well," the guest said. The guest departed, along with the sounds of footsteps exiting the room. The young woman whom Teyla pushed out of the way, lay still on the floor making eye contact for the briefest of moments, then scrambled up to her feet and followed.

That was the extent of Teyla's thanks for sacrificing her life, a quick glance, and then nothing.

The room was silent following the departure of the girl.

Teyla was still, waiting on her knees for whatever punishment she would be given.

"Mistress," Chey began, "If I may…"

"Leave us," the queen demanded, not even bothering to break her eye contact with Teyla.

Chey hesitated, then also departed swiftly, leaving them alone.

She returned the wraith's stare, trying to appear brave, even though she was terrified.

"You are very foolish," the queen said, not loudly, but matter-of-factly. "Why did you intervene?"

She considered her response carefully, and decided honesty was the only approach her mind could handle. "Because it was the right thing to do."

"You dared to defy your mistress?"

"You are not my mistress." At this point she no longer cared whether she provoked the queen to anger or not.

The queen regarded her, annoyance present in her face, but also uncertainty.

"I can sense your defiance. If I were to reach out and feed," she said, passing her feeding hand close to Teyla's face, "your defiance would be sweet to me."

She tried to move, but she was frozen to the spot. The queen stood still for a moment, continuing to reach out. She waited, breath held and heart racing. She wasn't afraid to die, but she _was_ afraid of pain.

The queen lowered her hand, and instantly she felt the force binding her movements release. "You are strong," the queen said, "but you are foolish and defiant. No wraith aboard this ship would hesitate to feed on you if you provoked them like you have done to me, if only to taste your strength."

She couldn't help but curl up on the floor and try to calm down. Her body felt strange, like she was losing feeling in her limbs. She realized that she was breathing too heavily, and forced herself to try and meter her breaths. Her breathing slowed, but her heart continued on as if she were running. Looking to the side, she saw the queen was still standing there, watching her.

"Stand up if you are ready, there is something you may be interested to see."

She struggled to her feet, the strength and feeling beginning to return to her body. "Where are you taking me?" she asked, suspecting deception.

"Proceed," the wraith said, gesturing for her to lead through the back door. She looked at the queen suspiciously, wondering what the meaning of this could be. Walking forward cautiously, she kept an eye on the wraith as she passed. The wraith followed her.

She wondered if she would be expected to take a right or a left, but the hallway didn't diverge. The two of them approached a long straight through-way with windows looking out the side of the ship. Teyla stopped at the first window, mesmerized by the sight. The expanse of the stars was blotted out by a circular shaped darkness above them. Inside the darkness, patterns of green light danced slowly, like the flames of a fire spread out in paths across the sphere.

She stood still, captivated by the sight, the odd angle of the ship making it difficult to discern what exactly she was seeing. She had seen the dark side of a planet before when traveling in a jumper from a space gate, but she had never seen anything like this.

The queen was to the left of her, also staring out at the sight. "It's beautiful isn't it?" she said, almost dreamily. "In your language I believe you call it an aurora."

"Yes," Teyla said, "I have seen this from the ground before, but never from above." She looked to the wraith, more astonished at her than at the sight out the window. She thought to ask why she wasn't being disciplined or punished, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It was better taken at face value so the issue wouldn't be pursued.

Still, It astonished her that this wraith, a queen no less, had shown mercy. Wasn't forgiveness something that should be completely foreign to a wraith? She reminded herself that even cruel people would at times show mercy whenever it was convenient for them. This queen was still a murderer, and she was still guilty of immeasurable suffering. She wouldn't soon forget how the wraith had mercilessly killed both her father and her mother, and others of her family.

"It was an obscure tradition," the queen said. Teyla supposed she was referring to what had just happened. "One queen offers another a servant as a sign of agreement or trust, and then the servant is marked as owned by the one receiving."

"Wouldn't that kill the servant?" She worried that her question was out of turn, but the wraith didn't notice.

"Not necessarily," the queen said. Teyla began to doubt what she had thought earlier, that the queen had been preparing to feed on the girl. She thought to ask what the ritual would entail, but wasn't brave enough to ask.

"I know you were paying attention to the exchange, I don't believe your lack of understanding of our tongue has prevented you from guessing what the other was proposing."

"Yes," she answered cautiously, wondering how her thoughts were known to the queen. "I guessed she was proposing that you betray the alliance."

"She offered me access to a ground base, one which has remained secret from the others. It was an offer I declined, however she made me swear to secrecy before stepping foot on my ship."

"And that was the purpose of the ritual?"

"Yes."

Teyla looked away from the creature and out to the aurora, still moving fluidly in patterns like green fire blazing above them.

"Where are we?" she asked, quietly and cautiously. She knew of a few worlds in which the aurora could be seen brightly, and wondered if she was close to any one of them.

"In orbit around our meeting point," the wraith explained. She gestured to something out the window and directly upward. Teyla looked up to see another hive ship, traveling directly above them. "We are at a planet within my allotment."

The mention of her allotment made her uneasy. "Is this ship here to cull?" she asked fearfully, with overtones of accusation. Teyla immediately realized her mistake in tone and hoped the wraith wouldn't notice. Unfortunately she did.

The queen turned quickly, "You disapprove? I did not ask for your opinion on the matter."

She thought frantically, searching for something to say. "I merely…"

"Your emotions on the matter are all too clear," another wraith voice said. She jumped inwardly at this sudden intrusion.

She turned around and saw the same wraith she'd seen arguing with the queen previously. He wore the black overcoat, signature of wraith of high position within the hive. His face was tattooed black with a sign which looked somewhat like an ancient character.

"For both of you," he continued. He stared at the queen hostilely. The queen returned only a calm silence.

"Were you not instructed very carefully in the matter of what decision you were to make?" he said, advancing menacingly toward her.

"It is my prerogative to accept or deny alliances," the queen replied coolly.

The commander advanced suddenly, raising his hand as if he were either going to strike her or going to feed. Teyla backed away, but the queen didn't even flinch. All remained still for a short time, but then the commander slowly lowered his hand and backed away.

"You've outlived your usefulness," he said threateningly. He turned around and stormed off.

Teyla was speechless and she didn't even realize that she'd been standing with her back leaning against the window.

"Things will change quickly Teyla," the queen said. She looked to her for clarification or an explanation of what had just taken place, but she was silent.

* * *

The food available on a hive ship could only be described as food in a loose sense. It was palatable, stopped you from feeling hungry, and didn't make you sick, but that's about all it did.

The regular schedule of sleeping and eating she had become accustomed to in Atlantis had been completely disrupted. Some 'days' she would go without eating because she wasn't hungry, and some days she was starving the entire time. The end result left her feeling haggard and continually tired.

She left the small room and traveled along the route which led her to the food storage room. There, she was supplied with a way to cook and prepare herself something to eat.

They had moved her out of the prison cell into a small room, with just enough space and amenity to survive. The door restricted her movements by unlocking only at certain times, which left her with hours of boredom and anxiousness.

With each passing day, it became more difficult to hold onto the hope that she would be rescued. She had already counted roughly two weeks spent this way, and an unknown amount of time in stasis. How long would they search? She had seen instances where people missing not even as long as she'd been gone were counted as missing in action and forgotten. How could she stand by continuing to do nothing? She needed to take action to free herself, or she feared she would never be free again.

She walked into the storage room looking and feeling downtrodden.

"Hello Teyla," someone said.

Hearing someone snapped her out of her mood. She turned the corner past a shelf of preserved food to see Chey already present.

"Chey," She said in surprise.

"I was wondering if I would ever see you down here," he said cheerfully. "Our schedules are slightly different." It was strange hearing him carry on as if he were discussing some mundane employment.

"I came here for breakfast," she explained.

"It's afternoon for me, but it doesn't make a difference since we eat the same for every meal."

Teyla became aware of the pleasant smell which seemed to fill the room.

"Is that?..."

"Bread," Chey said. "Finally, I have enough time to make a batch of decent bread. I'm sure you're tired of eating the stale garbage we've had thus far." He rocked back and forth on his heels, seemingly pleased with himself. "Would you care to eat with me?"

It had been a long time since she'd eaten anything decent. "Yes, please," she said eagerly.

They set up a small table, which was actually a few wood crates. It was only two crates for seats and one covered with an old sack for a tablecloth, but it was the best thing she'd seen in quite awhile.

They sat down across from each other, each with a handful of warm steaming bread. They ate silently for a few moments, which Teyla thought was a little awkward, so she searched her mind for something to discuss which both of them would be interested in.

"There is this particular wraith," Teyla began, thinking of a way to describe it.

"There are a lot of wraith around here," he said. "Care to be more specific?"

"He seems to have authority," she continued, "He has tattooed on his face what looks like an ancient character."

"Ah," Chey said, mouth full of food. "You are referring to the hive commander. Yes, well, I suppose you've seen how he conducts himself toward the queen."

"Disrespectfully," she elaborated.

"Well, that has a lot to do with how she came here. You see…" He trailed off, averting his eyes and taking a bite."

"Yes?" she asked, curious to know more.

"Oh, nothing," he said lamely. "Suffice to say he would rather have a queen which is more easily controlled than she is."

Teyla didn't have a very solid knowledge of wraith hierarchy, but she was sure that queen was a more authoritative position than commander.

"Why does she not remove him from this ship?" Teyla asked.

"Well." he began, waiting to swallow before continuing. "The queen hasn't been aboard this hive for very long. In fact, for a long time this ship didn't even have a queen. In the intervening time, the wraith aboard the ship came to respect the commander as their one leader."

"Then why have a queen at all?" she wondered, the logic in her mind not connecting.

"To be part of an alliance, the ship must have a queen," he said, allowing a brief smile. He finished the last bite of what he had brought to the 'table.' "Nice to talk with you," he said with a mouth full. "I have to depart." With that he walked off, leaving her alone.

She ate a few more pieces of bread, and took some with her in her pockets just in case. Departing through the door, she took a right, exactly the way she arrived. After only a a few dozen paces, nothing about the route looked familiar anymore. The side branches and the stairwells weren't where she remembered them.

She focused on remaining calm when it dawned on her that she'd taken a wrong turn. She turned around, attempting to back track. She turned, left, right, left, left, or was that last one supposed to be a right? She began to doubt herself, but continued on since she had no evidence to prove that it was a wrong turn.

She rounded the corner, and just as she did, a rush of cold air greeted her, the smell of death present but subtle. The hallway was lined completely with stasis pods as far as she could see. Just a short distance away, a single wraith paced toward her, focusing to his right as if picking out a victim. His attention diverted to her at her sudden appearance.

"Servant!" It ordered," remove the corpses from these pods." She turned around quickly, attempting to escape without being followed. Just as she turned, the door in front of her closed and sealed shut. She searched for a door control, but found none.

"You insolent _hassak!" _The wraith raged. Another wraith appeared behind him, the two of them approaching her.

One of them reached out and grabbed her shoulder, digging its claws into her skin. It pushed her forward violently into the wall, sending her to the floor. Her head throbbed from the impact and she could taste blood in her mouth.

"Get up," the other wraith demanded. One of them grabbed her throat and hauled her up. Teyla struggled to breathe while the wraith led her around roughly, smiling the entire time as if amused.

He led her to an alcove containing a withered corpse. "Move these bodies out to the airlock," he demanded.

Teyla shuddered in fear and disgust at what she was being asked to do.

"No," she pleaded, "please don't."

The wraith tightened its grip on her neck, further restricting her breath. "Shall I feed on you now?" it asked.

Teyla remembered what the queen had said about defiance, and how it could encourage them to feed on her. She prepared herself to submit to its demands.

"I-will-do it," she wheezed. It released her neck letting her fall on her knees at the foot of the alcove. She filled her lungs with the putrid air.

"What are you two doing," Chey called out. Teyla turned and saw him approaching from the opposite direction she had come from.

"She is one of the queen's personal servants," he said, "how to you justify this?"

The two backed away from Teyla, now looking at her as if she were unclean.

"We were not aware of her…"

"Get out!" Chey demanded, interrupting them. The two of them turned and walked away, sparing one glance backward before they rounded the bend.

He turned to Teyla and knelt to where she was sitting. "That," he said emphatically and pointing to the direction the wraith had departed, "is why you shouldn't come down here."

He offered his hand, which she took to steady herself as she stood. "Thank you," she said calmly.

"You're fortunate," he said, leading her away, "It happened to me about four or five times before they finally figured out who I was."

"The queen's servant?" she asked to clarify.

"No," he said wryly, "It's because my first name has three syllables, apparently that carries a lot of weight around here."

Teyla almost laughed. "How do you manage it" she asked, "to stay so calm with all this around you?"

"You get used to it," he said as he stopped at the intersection of two hallways. "You come to like it after awhile." She searched his face, looking for the sign of the sarcasm he frequently showed, but this time, it seemed he really meant it. That moment, she understood that despite his apparent kindness, he was a wraith worshiper, and he genuinely wanted to be.

He pointed to the left "Go through there; it'll take you to the main stairwell."

"Thank you," She said reservedly, her politeness running cold toward him. sparing a glance behind her as she ascended the narrow service stairwell.

It was beyond words how many small side halls and stairwells were located aboard the ship. It seemed as if whoever assembled the ship merely stuck a hall here or there just out of whim. Teyla considered what she had heard Rodney explaining in the past about hive ships. She knew they were composed of organic material, and seemed to be able to re-grow themselves. Perhaps the ship assembled itself, much in the same way a living thing does. If that were so, then it would seem reasonable to imagine the hallways assembling themselves with the same kind of apparent randomness as the blood vessels of a living creature would. That was fascinating, but it made it very tiring to navigate.

With a minimum of wrong turns, she made it back to the middle deck, just a few minutes walk from her quarters.

This part of the ship was exceedingly spacious. Her footsteps echoed softly in the large dark caverns that composed the 'royal' section of the ship, seeming to defile the incredible silence that permeated the entire area. The entire deck seemed to be modeled after a tremendous cavern, even certain areas had neglected lighting, intentionally leaving it in darkness. The fact that wraith seemed to prefer darkness was of little surprise to her.

The sound of marching approached. Wraith drones didn't seem to walk in step intentionally, however perhaps from lack of individuality, they chose to walk with their footsteps aligned. She hastened to try and blend with the wall to allow the approaching group to pass her. The drones never seemed to bother her, but it didn't hurt to be sure.

The group came into view out of the portion of darkness that was ahead, angling their approach to pass close to where she was standing. She tensed up, watching them approach closer and closer to her. After the last moment, she knew that they were intentionally after her. It was too late, they surrounded her, securing her by the shoulders and pushing her along. She didn't resist, knowing resisting would only cause her to be shot.

They led her directly to the queen's personal chambers, seeming to scatter immediately after she had been shoved through the threshold. One remained with her, digging it's claws into the skin of her shoulders. The rest of the drones were behind her, guarding the doorway. In the time it took her to blink, the queen appeared out of the shadows into the narrow beam of light, standing motionless, only a step away. Had she been there the whole time?

Without explanation, the queen lashed out, striking her chest and forcing her hand against the thin clothing. The force of the blow sent her backward a step. There was moment of stunned pause, the length of two quick heartbeats. She had only the briefest moment to assess what was about to happen.

She felt it start, the feeling she likened to tendrils snaking through her skin and piercing through her heart and lungs. The pain hit a peak at every heartbeat. Her face contorted, and she cried out. With each beating of her heart, with each breath came agonizing pain. It spread out through her body, but felt strongest in her neck and head. If each heartbeat continued in this agony, she knew it wouldn't be long before she started wishing it would stop.

As quickly as it started, with one last painful breath, it stopped, leaving it it's place a feeling as if her blood had turned cold, and yet strangely it didn't hurt. Her mind had trouble focusing. Everything was becoming strangely surreal, as if her conscious mind had retreated far into her head, leaving nothing in conscious control of her limbs.

From a distant place, she saw the queen remove her hand, blood covered. It was fine, that couldn't be her own blood, it belonged to someone else.

Her head pitched forward, her hair hanging down low and covering her eyes. She felt herself being dragged along, supported between two drones. She could see, but couldn't move. She didn't even try to move her limbs, she was afraid if she tried, the pain would return. She was fine where she was, everything was comfortably ethereal.

"Take care of her," a kind voice said.

* * *

She remembered what had happened. She knew the queen had fed on her, and yet, here she was, thinking consciously. She opened her eyes, seeing the ceiling of the little room she had been assigned. She moved her hands up in front of her face. Her hands were still there, skin taught and feeling healthy. She sat up, slowly, assessing her entire body. Everything seemed intact.

She sat there staring at her feet, trying to make sense of what she remembered, and what she was seeing now. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, taking one last moment to ensure that she was whole. She stood, taking two steps to the small mirror placed above the sink. She touched the control, taking the lights from a dim setting to full brightness.

She almost gasped upon seeing her face. The only surprise was that nothing had changed about her appearance; her face was the same as before. What had the queen done to her then? What was the purpose of all that pain? She looked to her chest and noticed the shirt allowed sight of the top part of a red mark. She pulled it down slightly to see the scars spread out in the distinctive shape of a wraith feeding mark. She looked more closely at it, seeing that it was actually a series of small pierce marks. There was no blood staining, even though she knew it had been drawn. She touched the mark, wincing because it felt as if it were raw skin

"Hello," the muffled voice of someone called through the door. Teyla recognized it as Chey. She surveyed herself, making sure she was decent. Actually, considering that, it was surprising that she didn't look ragged.

"Come in," she called.

The door opened in it's abrupt fashion, admitting Chey.

"Hello," he said, closing the door behind him.

"Chey," she addressed.

"I don't have a whole lot of time," he said, "But I wanted to come here to make sure you were okay."

"Thank you," she said awkwardly. "Forgive me if I seem blunt, but...what happened to me?"

"You were marked as owned. Apparently the queen felt the need to ensure you carried her mark."

She glanced down at the mark. It was like a brand. She had been physically marked as if she were some animal. Her feelings simmered, and then began to boil, outraged that she had been treated in this fashion.

"Do you mean that she has marked me like some animal?"

"Yes," he said uncaringly. "I must say, that even unruly servants aren't usually put through that kind of degradation."

His remark stunned her, causing her to wonder why she had been treated in such a horrible manner.

"I have to leave now," he said, opening the door and turning to leave. He glanced behind him. "I'm glad you're okay," he said before disappearing.


	5. Deception and Control

The ship was headed to a meeting place of all the hive ships within the alliance. Teyla heard heard from Chey, who was her only source of news, that the primary had called a meeting of all the queens in the alliance. He explained while she technically would expect to have to attend the actual meeting, that she probably shouldn't count on it. He hadn't explained why, although she assumed it was because the queen didn't trust her enough.

She looked over the table in the dim light, wondering if she had already removed the dust. She ran the duster over the surface again, just in case.

She put the duster in its place, and looked over the lounge once more. She was sure she had finished the task to completion. She was ordered that upon finishing that task, to return to her quarters and await further instruction. That seemed to be all she ever did, mundane tasks and waiting in her quarters. What kind of servant was she? It was as if this wraith queen didn't even need her, seeming as if she were struggling to invent things for her do.

The hours of long boredom was taking its toll, causing her to feel tired and morose. The sights inside the ship no longer scared her, it simply depressed her. She kept her outward appearance of hope, hope that she would be rescued, that she would see her friends again, but it was a lie. She both feared and expected that she would never see them again, and that she would die here one way or another.

She entered the door of her quarters, which closed behind her and locked. The door would remain locked until she awoke to start it all over again.

When she had been put into stasis, she was stripped of everything she had, even the clothing she was left with was different. She wished she still had the watch she'd been given for missions. That way she could tell time, to know what was a day and what was a night. She longed to see sunshine again, to see trees, to smell fresh air that wasn't recycled and sterile. She longed to see friendly faces, not the angry horrible faces of wraith.

She sat down on her bed, distraught, feeling alone and forgotten. This was worse than death. Here, she had nothing to look forward to, nothing to live for. She wondered, hypothetically, was there a way she could take her own life without anyone noticing to stop her? She thought this, almost seriously on one hand, but with complete fear and revolt on the other. The idea kept nagging, persistently, and she refused acknowledge the truth that she was even thinking it.

She reprimanded herself for allowing such thoughts, and tried earnestly to force herself out of that dark place. She couldn't rid herself of those feelings; it was overwhelming her, consuming her from the inside out.

The door burst open unexpectedly, shattering her thoughts and the dark lonely environment she had conjured for herself. The hive commander burst through the doorway, swiftly stepping into the room.

"What do you want?" She demanded as she stood up and backed up to the opposite wall, ready to defend herself. No wraith had done this to her before.

The door closed behind him. "I have come to offer you an escape from this ship," he said, his tone calm and manner sincere.

"Escape?" She asked, not believing what she was hearing.

"I have been observing you," he said, voice calm and calculated. "I can see clearly that you desire greatly to return to your home. I will help you to escape by taking you to a stargate, and in return, I ask that you help me."

"Help you?" She asked, becoming suspicious. It didn't rest easy with her when anyone, wraith especially, added conditions. She didn't need much intuition to be certain its motives were untoward.

"I want you to eliminate the queen," he said, tone hushed. He drew out a sheathed knife from his inner pocket, along with a stunner. She recognized them as the weapons she'd had before she was taken.

His offer alarmed her and her intuition warned her that circumstances had just become treacherous for her. Why would he be asking her to do this?

"Why don't you do the act yourself," she countered, having no intention of attempting to attack the queen.

"We will be within range of a stargate soon," he explained. "I do not have access to the queen right now, but you do. It would be easy for you to enter her presence."

The whole proposal was definitely a setup. He most likely was attempting to frame her for murder.

"No," she said firmly. "I will not do it."

The wraith scowled. "Willingly or not," he said, his voice louder and his gesture violent, "it will be you that murders the queen." He raised the stunner at her…

* * *

_-iIi-_

Bright lights shone down on her, blinding her. She was falling, she tried frantically to move around to brace herself, but she couldn't even flinch. She tried to move her head to see what was around her, but she couldn't. Her arms, legs, and hands all felt oddly disconnected, as if they were still there attached, but not her own.

'Hello?' she tried to say. Only silence met her ears and her lips wouldn't even move.

"Teyla!" A familiar voice called out to her. It was as if suddenly she was standing up, awake and conscious.

"Rodney!" she called out.

"Over here," Rodney said, the voice coming from behind her. She turned around and saw Rodney, bound hand and foot lying on the floor with prison bars separating the two of them.

"Rodney, what are you doing here?" she asked, feeling a mixture of surprise at his sudden appearance, and concern over his condition.

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing here?' We came here to rescue you."

"There are others with you?" she asked, her hope rising.

"Well of course not with me. They're somewhere else in the ship."

"Then why are you trapped?"

"I was separated, I must have been stunned and brought here. But don't worry, I'm sure Sheppard and Ronon are still…" He stopped cold when two wraith drones came through the hallway, each dragging an unconscious Sheppard and Ronon. "Fighting," Rodney finished lamely.

The hive commander followed the precession, displaying a wide and evil grin. He diverted to stand in front of her cell.

"You should have cooperated with me," he said as he side stepped to Rodney's cell. He touched something on the wall which opened the door.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Rodney protested. He scrambled awkwardly on the floor, trying pitifully to get away from the threat. . The wraith approached him slowly, as if savoring the moment.

"Wait!" Teyla shouted. "Stop!"

"It's too late for that," the wraith said, grinning widely at her with a wretched smile. "I must feed."

"No, please no!" Rodney begged.

The wraith thrust its feeding hand into Rodney's chest. She looked away, unable to bear seeing what would happen to him. His cries of agony horrified her. Her helplessness made her panic, which forced her to resist trying to reach through the barrier.

The screams became weak, then faded. The finality of the silence felt strange. It was almost as if she was glad the screams had ceased, that she knew her friend wasn't suffering anymore.

"Who will be next?" The wraith asked. She had continued to look away, but out of anger forced her gaze to the object of her hatred. The wraith was still kneeling in spot, along with the remains of her friend.

He regarded his feeding hand, which was covered in blood. "Will it be your leader? Or perhaps the Satedan? he asked sadistically.

"What do you want!" she yelled between tears and sobs, hatred, fear and sadness becoming mixed together all at once.

"I want you to kill the queen," he said. "You don't need to make this difficult. Why should you care if she lives or dies? She has made you her slave."

She couldn't answer, the gravity of emotion was too much to allow a rational response.

"If you do as I ask, I will spare you and your remaining friend's lives."

"I will do as you ask," Teyla responded, "Just please," she said tearfully, "Spare their lives." She looked to the two other forms lying unconscious in the adjacent cells.

"Good," he said, smiling triumphantly.

Everything washed out to darkness, noises, lights, all appeared as a blur.

She found herself walking toward the queen's quarters. Concealed within her overcoat, was a stunner along with a combat knife. The surety of her decision was absolute. There was no doubt in her mind that she needed to kill the hive's queen in order to save herself and her friends. She remembered how the queen had hurt her, how she had made her a slave and put her through all that pain to mark her as property. She deserved this.

But how did she get he…?" the thought caused her head to experience a sharp pain. She must not think about that, she needed to focus on her objective. A quiet but persistent voice kept nagging at her, repeating the same thought; 'this isn't right.' She needed to stop, at least to think and consider what was giving her doubt. No, she couldn't stop, she must finish her objective!

She arrived at the doorway leading into the queen's personal room. A control was recessed in the wall, embossed with ancient characters in asymmetric layout. She didn't know how, but her mind produced the code for her, which she entered by touching the symbols.

This wasn't right, she had never seen the code before. How was she able to conjure it up just then? She dismissed it as not important, but the incident kept rising to the surface every time she pushed it away.

The door parted open in the manner an insect parts its wings, sliding back quickly and gracefully. Inside was the lounge, dark, with nobody present.

She glided across the room, her footfalls silenced by the decorative carpeting. The doorway into the bedroom was open, the light from it spilling out into the dark lounge.

Teyla crept along the wall, looking this way and that to make sure she hadn't been discovered. She stopped just at the edge of the doorway, pausing for a silent breath. She peered inside briefly and promptly retracted her head out of sight. She had seen the queen standing in the room, looking in front of a mirror. She took a moment to process that the queen had been staring directly at her through the mirror.

The queen already knew she was there. She jumped into the doorway, stunner in hand, pointing it directly at the queen. She was about to pull the trigger, but something gave her pause. The queen stared at her through the mirror, her visage steeped with fear, human-like fear. The sight caused her to hesitate and question the action she was preparing for.

"Teyla," she said, her voice laden with alarm "I'm sorry,"

The feelings of revenge melted away, and she hesitated. 'Don't do this!' her subconscious mind screamed at her. The conflict hit a crescendo, each opinion within her mind screaming at the other. On one side, hate, anger and fear said to fire, and on the other, her rational mind said to lower the weapon. Teyla made the decision to stop, but as she did so, the sharp pain increased within her head, starting at her eyes and moving backward. The pain made her even more sure that she needed to resist whatever influence this was. As she did this, the pain became even more intense. The intensity of it caused her to drop the weapon she was holding. She lost strength in her knees and fell on the floor, curled up and grasping her head.

'Do it!' a foreign, hostile voice demanded. "No!" She gasped, "I won't." It was the commander, he had breached the barrier around her mind, influencing her thoughts. Teyla shut it out, knowing now what it was. The vision of her friends, the feeding, had all been an illusion.

She felt someone touch her forehead. Instantly, the pain subsided, the noise and the conflict stopped, and her mind became dulled, her ears filling with a soothing noise like a waterfall.

When it all stopped, she opened her eyes and saw the queen's bedroom sideways from lying on the floor. She became aware that something was still touching her head. She angled her eyes and saw the queen, kneeling beside her, her eyes closed in concentration. She lay still, not knowing what to do.

"His influence over you is broken," the queen finally said, her voice in tones of kindness Teyla had never before heard from a wraith. The normalcy of her voice surprised her, and for a moment, she could have sworn it was… No, it couldn't be.

"I am sorry Teyla," the wraith said. "I hope with time you can understand why you've been put through this."

Teyla continued to stare, unable to reconcile the fact that this murderer, this evil creature was appearing to show kindness.

"Forgive me for not being straightforward with you from the beginning," the wraith said. "Secrecy forbade me from disclosing my true intention in making you my servant."

"And… what was that?" Teyla asked as she attempted to pick herself off the ground. She struggled, her knees still feeling weak.

"I heard your cry for help, and I answered."

Teyla shook her head, not willing to accept that. "No."

"I caused the dream. It was me who reassured you."

"Why would you?" She couldn't control the astonishment in her voice.

"Because you asked me to help you." Her explanation was succinct, leaving many questions still unanswered

It was unimaginable. She never had expected to find even a hint kindness or concern aboard this ship. To know that the one who she thought was least likely to show compassion had orchestrated the entire thing in order to help her was beyond her belief. While her mind was dulled by stasis, she had called for help, searching desperately for anyone's attention. She recalled the presence she had allowed to communicate in her mind, how it had reassured her that she would be okay.

"Our window of opportunity for escape is nearing. We need to depart the ship."

"Escape?" Yet again, the last thing Teyla expected. "Where?"

Something in the doorway made a noise. Teyla reacted and turned around in an instant, attempting to raise her stunner in defense. A single shot was fired which hit her arm. She lost feeling in her arm and the weapon she was holding clattered uselessly on the floor.

The commander stepped through the doorway, stopping a few paces away from her. He looked past Teyla and at the queen. "You never became one of us," he said with mock disappointment. "You never stopped in your weak ways."

"What you are is not stronger."

"You said the same then. You were as stubborn then as you are now. The alliance will be far better off without you."

"And yet, word of your efforts will likely never reach those in the alliance. If they knew what you had planned for me, they would hunt you and execute you."

Her argument resulted only in a malicious smirk. "The queen's treacherous servant has murdered her, and I was too late to stop it."

His expression changed to a look of confusion. He barred his pointed predator teeth, preparing to attack and all Teyla could do was stand there helplessly, expecting at any moment to be shot. The commander unexpectedly collapsed to his knees, opening his mouth wide like a fish gapes for water. He groaned and wheezed slightly, then fell over face first.

She looked to the queen whom she saw with her eyes closed, concentrating intently.

The commander writhed silently on the floor, gaping as if it could not breathe. It's panicked expression was left frozen on it's face as it gradually ceased to move.

"He will be bothering us no longer," the queen said, exhaling sharply. Teyla moved closer to the door, cautious stay away from the wraith lying on the ground. "The drones were under his control." the queen said. "Without his influence they will be in a state of confusion, but only for a short time." She abandoned her position at the far end of the room and stepped toward the commander, slowing as she approached.

She looked down at him, her countenance turning to what was unmistakably regret. "We must move quickly before they revert to their previous order, which was to kill us if we tried to escape." She abruptly exited the doorway.

The mention of attack snapped Teyla out of her daze. She readied herself, temporarily put away her confusion, and proceeded to follow the queen. She didn't have time to be afraid or to ask the meaning of all of this; she needed to get out of there.

She paused before exiting the room entirely, sparing one glance backward. The commander was still there, lying dead on the floor, eyes open and mouth agape. She understood with extreme seriousness and wonder, that the queen had reserved that ability the entire time. She could just as easily killed her when she had burst through the door threatening her. Teyla filed it away, putting that thought aside for the time being.

She followed the wraith, through the halls and down the ramps and stairs not having the slightest idea where within the ship she was. She rounded a bend, only to find herself facing Chey. The queen had already stopped walking.

"The commander is dead," she explained to him, "We now have the opportunity to release all those in stasis, but we have to be quick."

"Then the alliance will be informed that you have betrayed them," he said, everything about him showing haughtiness. "There will be nowhere for you to flee once we exit hyperspace."

"Your master is dead, you do not have to continue with this." The queen sounded as if she were almost pleading.

"My master cannot be killed."

"Then am I to assume you won't help me?"

"Chey," Teyla said. "I think we were wrong about her…"

"I know all about her pathetic plan to save you," he said harshly. "Filth," He spat at the floor in front of the queen.

Teyla couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was the one person who had openly shown her kindness aboard the entire ship, how could he be speaking like this?

"I'm giving you the opportunity to be released from servitude to wraith. Will you help us?"

He shook his head, smiling maliciously. "This is who I am," Chey said, grinning wildly just as heavy footfalls were heard behind them. Only inches behind her a group of drones had rounded the bend. "You're pathetic! I hardly had to work to gain your trust!"

"Goodbye Chey," the queen said abruptly. He looked at her as though confused. Teyla wondered what she meant, since Chey obviously had the upper hand.

A stunner blast rang out behind her, flying past her and hitting Chey. He crumpled to the ground in front of them, silent and still.

"A few drones can be controlled, but the ship is still loyal to the commander," the queen said as she took two steps forward and surveyed his inanimate form; more regret. "There is nothing more we can do here. "We have to leave now."


	6. Escape

The queen stood at the controls of the small transport ship, guiding it effortlessly through the large bay opening and straight into the wide view of the vast expanse of space. The fleet of hive ships and cruisers appeared in front of them, dotting the canvas of stars with their numbers, seeming to block their escape. The incredible sight disappeared, replaced by an opaque display of information streaming in wraith language. The queen was still able to control the ship regardless since the relevant information was transferred telepathically between the ship and its pilot.

"Will anyone question our departure?" Teyla asked as she stood off to the side.

"The alliance believes I betrayed them," the queen answered, "I'm sure they will not be pleased to see that I've escaped."

The ship shuddered and rocked gently, and from that she knew they had entered hyperspace.

A long silence ensued, the queen standing motionless at the control console and herself off to the side. The sense of panic was wearing off; her mind was slowly being drawn in from the present moment to the broad perspective of what was happening to her. She had a lot of questions which were forming in her mind, but she forced herself to be patient before speaking, allowing time to find the right question and the right answer. The queen still made her wary, despite now showing a new kinder character than she had expected.

It wasn't right; it couldn't be true that a wraith queen had actually saved her life. It went against all the rules she had built up for herself, the paradigm which had worked flawlessly as far she could remember.

"Who are you," she asked through the silence which had formed. "Why…" She failed to complete the thought. There were too many 'whys.'

"A wanderer," she said flatly. "I have no place among wraith, and I have no place among your kind."

"Why did the commander attack you?"

"Because he was foolish, and because I wouldn't bow to his corrupt wishes."

That perhaps would explain the confrontations she'd seen between them. She thought of what she mentioned to Chey just before they escaped. "You said something about a rescue, the people in stasis?"

"I would have been prepared to rescue the people trapped in stasis," she said, staring off darkly. "But I suspected from the beginning that I wouldn't be able to."

The queen turned her attention away from the controls and stepped away, seeming to leave the ship to navigate itself. She sat down on the floor of the small control room, just a short distance from Teyla. The gesture surprised her, seeing her communicate on her level instead of lording over her.

"If it isn't obvious by now, I am not a wraith queen. I live alone now, wandering from place to place."

"Then why were you aboard that ship?" Teyla asked, trying to keep up.

"It started when I had been spotted and captured by a small human settlement adjacent to where I lived. It wasn't the first time it had happened, and fortunately this time, it didn't end in death." She stared distantly; Teyla recognized that visage, even from a wraith. She was remembering things she wanted to forget. "It doesn't always end so happily," she said darkly.

"I stay as far away from any human settlement as I can to avoid confrontations, but I have a few friends within the town. One day I could hear the approach of a hive ship, days away but definitely on course. I warned the friends I had within the town of their approach."

Teyla envisioned a small town, the sky was dull gray in the early hours of the morning. There was a small house on a hill outside of the town, the chimney still smoking from the fire kindled to battle the cold of the night. _She approached the door and knocked. Moments passed, and a man answered._

"_Syntyche," he said, wide eyed and astonished. "I hadn't expected to see you"._

The vision which had grown ever more vivid, stopped and Teyla washed back into reality as if she were floating in water and being washed ashore. The wraith was looking at her curiously.

"I'm sorry," Teyla said, worriedly. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, not at all," the wraith said, "but you are not the only one with questions, Teyla Emmagan. Can you explain why you are able to communicate in the way of a wraith?"

Teyla was a little afraid that her mind had intruded so far into the wraith's, but she sensed no anger, just a curiosity. "I am not sure precisely how," Teyla answered cautiously. "But I have been… sensitive to the presence of wraith all my life."

The wraith averted her gaze, her mind deep in thought. "There are rumors of your kind, I did not believe it was possible."

Her reaction encouraged her to share more of what she knew."Apparently, generations ago, a wraith scientist, manipulated the genetic code of my ancestors, mixing wraith DNA with our own. We are not sure for what reason."

"For what reason indeed, It was a foolish decision on the part of that scientist. Your mind is very strong, and with practice, you could force secrets from even the most ancient wraith queens."

Teyla mulled that over, feeling disbelief that she was described as so formidable.

"I was captured and imprisoned," the wraith said. She took a second to recognize that she was continuing her story. "On my departure, I was discovered by hunters in the area." Her hand traveled to a spot on her side. "They tried to kill me at first, but imprisoned me within the town when they saw I was not dead. I was locked away underground for several days and fortunately, when the ship arrived, most of the people had heeded my warning and hid."

"And they never knew it was you that warned them?"

"No," she said flatly. "They likely never found out where the warning came from."

"That must be difficult."

The wraith didn't respond audibly, but seemed to nod subtly.

"Just before the culling, I was left alone underground in that prison. Wraith from the ship found me, and soon after, Chey appeared. He said that their ship had no queen to represent them in the alliance, and that the commander would put me into the position."

"He kept you prisoner," Teyla said, understanding more accurately the confrontations she'd seen aboard the ship.

"Chey said that he didn't agree with the commander in this regard. He insisted at the time he would do everything he could to help me. Aboard the ship, my movements were very restricted and the population was ordered to ignore me unless otherwise instructed."

"How then was I rescued if you had no real power?"

"I requested it, I asked that I be allowed a servant, and Chey allowed it to happen."

"But was he not your servant? How would he would have the authority to allow that?"

"He was not, he was personal servant of the commander. You experienced how skillful he was at gaining trust. I suspect he and his master had planned early on to use you as a means to covertly eliminate me."

She shivered, remembering what that influence felt like the same as if she were remembering what a painful injury felt like.

The control console made a noise like an alarm. "That is the extent of what happened before you arrived." Upon standing she hurried to the control console and surveyed it. "We will be arriving shortly."

* * *

_-iIi-_

Something exciting was going on. Rodney had frantically called a meeting with Dr. Weir over the radio, which Sheppard knew meant that he'd found something really important. His mind ran through the possibilities of what discovery Rodney had made as he walked with purpose toward the heart of the ancient city. He imagined a scenario where through the application of some exotic science, Rodney had managed to find a way to get Teyla back.

He ascended the stairwell leading up to the level Rodney had chosen for the physics lab. John understood that he hadn't been explicitly invited, although Rodney did broadcast the exchange over the public frequency, which meant he wasn't terribly concerned about privacy.

He swaggered cooly into Rodney's office as though he happened to be arriving for a friendly visit.

"I can hardly believe this Rodney," said excitedly. John himself became more excited upon hearing this.

"Big news?" he asked.

"Only the re-discovery of the most incredible super-weapon the ancients ever devised," Rodney said, his face showing the kiddish excitement he was prone to show when he felt proud of himself.

The feeling was bittersweet upon hearing that. Even though he was expecting something else, it still was good news.

"What are we talking about here?" John pressed.

"Apparently," Weir answered, "It's a type of low energy device designed to combat the wraith."

"Ah, the term 'low energy,' is misleading though," Rodney interjected. "The device itself is apparently capable of causing an effect on a galaxy wide basis. When we say low energy, we mean it requires way less power than a ZPM."

"Whoa," John said. "Hold on a minute, how did you suddenly find this?"

"I found it by doing a city wide search of non-database storage systems across the city." McKay explained.

John only looked between Weir and Rodney. Although he was sure that explanation was accurate, it didn't mean much to him.

Rodney sighed upon seeing his confusion. "It means things like ventilation, automatic bilge systems and the like. You see, the database has a very versatile capability to protect itself if it's attacked or sabotaged. In this case, when the Ancients tried to remove all record of it in the main database, it protected those files by quietly storing backups in the most innocuous parts of the city's systems."

"Ok," John said as the pieces of the puzzle began to sort themselves in his mind. "But we all know from experience that the Ancients generally had good reasons for abandoning projects. In this case they even went as far as to delete all record of them. Would it really be all that smart to go looking for, whatever this is?"

"Yes," Mckay said emphatically. "Because we now know the project wasn't abandoned, it was incomplete, and we also know why the record was scrubbed."

"They suspected their system could be infiltrated by the wraith remotely," Weir added. "It was just before the last siege when the wraith delegation was supposedly on their way to negotiate a peace treaty."

"The 'negotiation'" Mckay said pointing his fingers upward and curling them twice, "where the wraith brought a whole armada of ships."

"They scrubbed the system of their most sensitive data before they arrived to prevent them from finding out about it," Weir said.

"Well it's a good thing," Sheppard said, "because they did exactly the same thing to us in that incident with Michael."

"Mmm," McKay grunted in agreement. "That's right, luckily I was able to scrub their virus completely from our system before it did any damage."

"All right," Sheppard said, "What exactly does this thing do?"

"Well the record doesn't actually specify." Rodney explained. "It just describes how it would assure a quick and complete victory."

That description didn't rest easy with him. He made it a habit to become suspicious whenever they came across a clue leading to a powerful weapon of obscure function. Still, Elizabeth seemed okay with the idea, and he trusted her judgment. "Okay," Sheppard said, "You've convinced me. Where do we go?"

"That's the easy part," McKay said. "The record tells us exactly where they hid the device. The hard part is going to be getting enough manpower to actually finish it."

John stood and thought for a moment. This scenario was reminding him far too much of the last time they tried to finish one of the Ancient's projects. John trusted Rodney to always have good intentions, but he realized that he sometimes had to protect Rodney from himself.

"I don't know," Sheppard said thoughtfully, "I just don't want a repeat of project arcturus."

"Rodney and I have already discussed this," Weir said. "If everything pans out, we're going to let Raddik take charge of the project. And believe me; we're going to proceed with extreme caution."

John looked to Rodney expecting some childish backlash; he could hardly believe it when Rodney's excited smile faded and he averted his gaze.

"That's right," Rodney said, disappointment clear in his voice. "I uh, need to keep working," he said as he focused on his computer workstation.

John took that as his cue to leave. "All right," he said cheerfully, "Well, I'll leave you to it."

Elizabeth followed him when he turned to leave.

"Colonel Sheppard," Dr. Weir said in an uncomfortable tone just as they reached the hallway. "There are some things we need to discuss, and decisions you need to make."

John already knew she was referring to his team and Teyla's-absence. "We could still find her." Sheppard said. "How do you think it would make her feel if she came back and found out that we replaced her after only a month?"

"I understand that John, but for right now you need someone to fill in so you can continue with your exploratory missions."

"You know, there's nothing that says an SG team needs to have four people." He said this while knowing he honestly wouldn't feel comfortable with only three people on his team.

"Technically no, but it's become standard operating procedure because it's been found to be the most ideal number for an exploratory team frequently put into hostile and unknown situations."

Elizabeth's argument silenced him for a moment as he thought of another way to argue. "How could I possibly find someone to take Teyla's place?" he asked. In his mind, he knew Teyla's role had been unique and probably irreplaceable. She was the team's cultural expert, she was a capable fighter, but even more than that she was the team's conscience. He knew that without her they might have made some very unfavorable decisions, and made a lot more enemies.

"I don't expect you to. I don't think that's even possible. But you have to prepare yourself for..." Elizabeth hesitated, unsure if she wanted to finish the thought. John already knew what she was probably going to say, although the thought still stung the same way. "She may not be coming back," Elizabeth completed.

Her words stung him, not because they weren't true, but because he was beginning to believe it. He had failed; he had promised to himself that he'd find Teyla and bring her back, but now it looked as if it was never going to happen. Instead of being defeated, it made him angry. He wanted to yell out, to beat the crap out of somebody, anybody that crossed him wrong.

"John," her tone was gentle and reassuring. "You did all you could have." He quickly wiped the emotion off his face, trying to hide the evidence that he was feeling anything at all. "But it's time to let go." The sense of finality struck him. There would be no more searches, no more time invested into trying to determine which ship she was on. One thought filled him with anxiety more than the rest; he would have to change Teyla's record from 'missing in action,' to 'presumed dead.'

He knew that if she had already been killed, then it would make little difference. He supposed it was symbolic, as though if he still believed she was alive, then she was… at least to him.

He had refused a memorial service for her only the previous day, even though Elizabeth offered. Now, the lack of a proper memorial bothered him. The only thing causing him to hesitate now was the feeling that it was too late, and the opportunity was gone. Then it was really guilt on his part, rather than any tangible thing keeping him from making it happen.

* * *

_-iIi-_

Rodney sipped the still-too-hot coffee, wincing as it burned his tongue; he wished it would hurry up and cool down. Staring at a screen and examining the records at the best of times would have been unpleasant, but now he had to contend with golf ball sized welt on his left calf. While MG6-779 was pleasant in the shady season, apparently the moon-planet it was swarming with giant bees in the sunny season.

Ronon explained that he'd been stung by them before without incident, but he clearly didn't understand allergic reactions. That darn insect had sent its stinger right through his pant leg! He had spent the previous day checking into the infirmary periodically to ensure he wasn't developing a reaction. While Carson had insisted that he wasn't showing any adverse reaction besides the welt, it didn't hurt to be sure.

He resisted the urge to scratch his leg and continued scrolling through the pages of encyclopedia entries displayed on the Lantean designed workstation. It was all fascinating stuff; heck, even one single entry's worth of information would be enough to win him a Nobel Prize back on Earth. While he was imagining the fame, one entry caught his attention.

He wasn't really even sure how he would have noticed it since he wasn't very good at sounding out Ancient script anyway, but he looked over it slowly out of interest.

"Ro-od-n-ney," he said quietly. "M-mik-kay," he read, his interest increasing. How was that possible?

His inner skeptic took over and told him it was probably something one of his research team had put in there as a joke. He pressed the line on the screen, curious about what foolishness he was about to see.

_Rodnee Mikkay: A genius._

_Tell Ronon to set his blaster to stun. She can help all of you…_

_Don't forget to wear your watch._

Rodney looked over the few lines of the unusual entry, completely at a loss as to the meaning of it. His mind ran briefly through wild speculations, but each explanation seemed unlikely.

Ultimately, what he wanted to know was who had written it?

"Dr. McKay," Zelenka's voice called over the radio.

"What is it Raddik?" Rodney asked annoyedly.

"We're receiving a strong sub-space transmission from a wraith vessel," he replied. "This is unlike anything we've seen before," he added.

Rodney forgot about the encyclopedia entry for the moment and walked out of his personal lab and up the flight of stairs leading to the communications lab immediately above.

The excitement was obvious as McKay went through the door. Raddik was sitting on a desk with someone who McKay vaguely recognized as one of the language experts from a different section. In the corner by the window, there were two other people who McKay didn't even know listening to headphones and fiddling with the equipment. They were poring over several pages of printed material in wraith script.

"What's going on?" McKay asked

Raddik looked up, blinking to focus his eyes properly. "We've received a sub-space transmission from a wraith vessel several times stronger than normal."

"Why would they send a transmission here, don't they think the city isn't here anymore?" McKay reasoned.

"It wasn't directed at us," Raddik responded. "It was a broadcast containing wraith text with anestimated output power of one point two petawatts. The encoding and type of modulation suggests it was a wraith transmitter array."

"One point two peta… What?" McKay asked in disbelief, running the numbers through his head. "That's like the energy required to power up the Daedalus hyperdrive. And that doesn't make any sense, why would the wraith send out a transmission like that? That's like standing in a crowd and shouting through a megaphone. Don't they usually just do the galactic equivalent of whisper to each other?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," the language expert, said, taking his glasses off to address him. "So far I've translated the first few words."

"What does it say?" Mckay asked.

The man put his glasses back on and held up a sheet of paper to the light. "In a short time, all wraith must make a judgement," the man said. "The last word may mean 'decision,'" he clarified. He put the paper back down.

"And?" McKay asked impatiently.

"That's all so far," he said. "I'll need time to translate it."

* * *

_-iIi-_

The ship dropped out of hyperspace. The blue sphere of a planet appeared in the view-screen, the light reflecting off its oceans and clouds both beautiful and blinding.

She tore away from the mundane operation of the ship and turned to Teyla. She was still resting against the wall, her eyes alternately closing and opening from extreme tiredness and desire to stay conscious. The short trip hadn't been enough time for her to comprehend what had happened to her.

She doubted that Teyla would yet fully grasp or believe her true intentions. She understood that from her early childhood, Teyla had learned to fear and despise wraith, and with good reason. She wanted to help her understand , but realized she wouldn't have enough time. In a few short minutes, Teyla would be escorted to a stargate to return to her home in the city of the Lanteans.

In the moments that Teyla's mind had connected with her own , she had seen images of her friends and family. She had seen memories of her friends from Earth, the ones which now resided in Atlantis.

Not much was known about the humans from Earth among the wraith besides rumor which was always changing and contradicting itself. Up to this point, she had viewed them as scavengers, only interested in using the Ancient city as a means to empower themselves. She feared that they had no regard for the power that they had at their disposal. With such power, they had the capability of causing far reaching effects on the galaxy and all its inhabitants.

Teyla's memories showed a different image. Her friends were explorers, not scavengers. They treated the technology and power with great care, knowing the potential for destruction in what they were dealing with. Teyla viewed her friends as brave, and their leaders as moral.

Still, their association with Atlantis made her wary. She knew it had been over ten millennia since the Lanteans had inhabited the city, but the name 'Atlantis' alone, still brought images, memories which she didn't want to remember. She put those thoughts aside, knowing there was a purpose to these events. It was no accident that Teyla was taken aboard the ship; that she suddenly and miraculously was able to communicate telepathically in the way of a wraith and call for help. Nothing here had happened without purpose.

"Where are we?" Teyla asked from the corner where she was half lying down, her voice tired and dry sounding.

"I don't know the name of this planet," she responded, "however it is sparsely inhabited within a short distance of the stargate."

Teyla sat silent for only a moment, her eyes closed. "Why did you mark me?" she asked, her voice weak and tired. "Why did you lead me to believe I was a slave?"

That question left her lacking a quick answer. The way Teyla saw it, she had been a cruel torturer, when in reality that action was solely to protect her. The act gave her no pleasure, and she fervently regretted having to do it, but how could she help Teyla to understand? The very fact that she asked meant Teyla accused her, but it also meant she was willing to understand.

"I am sorry Teyla. It was only to protect you."

"How," she asked weakly. Teyla sounded sick, as if she were suffering from lack of water. She considered that Teyla had been missing for many hours before finally re-appearing.

"Any wraith sensing that you have the mark will believe that you are owned by me. If they have any sense of honor to their own, which contrary to what you may believe, they do, then they will not harm you. In addition, the mark acts to make you seem-" She struggled to think of a word in Teyla's language which could describe it. It was difficult since there wouldn't likely be any parallel. "Seem, unpalatable," she finished.

Teyla was still, resting her head against the wall with her eyes opening and closing irregularly. She abandoned the control station and quickly entered the small cabin within the ship, searching the supplies for something to drink. It wasn't always guaranteed that a ship this small would be equipped with any sort of food or drink, Thankfully, a small stash of utensils was stored within the compartment along with drinking cups. There was also a source of fresh water. She brought out a cup of water and offered it to Teyla, who took it and sipped at first, and then downed the rest of it greedily.

"It was because I was almost killed," Teyla said. She wondered to what she was referring to, and then understood that she was continuing their conversation.

"You wanted to protect me from that happening again."

"Yes," she confirmed. "I realized then I could not protect you continuously, even if I confined you, you still could be attacked and hurt. Please believe me when I say that I very much regret the pain it caused."

Teyla turned her head and stared directly at her, seeming to search her face. She did not avert her eyes, wanting to prove that there was no deception.

"I understand," Teyla said, allowing very little emotion into her tone, but just enough to tell that Teyla no longer believed her intentions were for harm.

The ship alerted her to the presence of another ship, an attack cruiser just exiting hyperspace above and behind them. She stood quickly and re-connected with the ship's controls. They were very far above the surface still, and the stargate was still over the horizon. The view out the window affirmed that they were still above open ocean with respect to the planet.

The cruiser began firing on them.

* * *

_-iIi-_

The colonel looked through the barrel of the gun, holding it up to the light to get a better look at the inside. Satisfied that it was clean, he replaced it on the body of the weapon and tested the action.

They weren't scheduled to depart until tomorrow, but he couldn't resist the excuse to visit the range. Even through all the noise, he found it relaxing to fire the weapon at a paper target.

The shooting range was quiet, but he didn't mind breaking the silence. The colonel stood up and fired a few single rounds through the weapon, the blasts bouncing off the walls and amplifying. The stiff kick it gave his shoulder was exhilarating, reminding him of the weapon's power. He set it down and looked it over, deciding that this was the one he would take with him.

"What's up," Ronon called from across the room. John looked up and saw Ronon standing in the doorway, leaning casually on the frame.

"Just testing out this P90," John said, gathering his supplies and replacing them on the shelf.

"I heard you found someone to join our team." His expression was unreadable, and John wasn't sure from his tone whether he was okay with that or would beat the crap out of him, depending on what he said.

"Yeah," John said casually, "Lieutenant Stevens from Major Lorne's team."

Ronon gave his laconic stare. "Is that who you want?"

"He's the best option, Besides that, he's earned it." John exhaled heavily, staring through the wall as he relaxed his eyes.

"You've lost team members before, in those other places you've talked about."

John knew he was referring to his time in the Middle East. Ronon was like that, he only looked shallow on the surface. Sometimes he could see right through you.

"It's different with us. I can't remember ever being part of such a close knit team like this, not in the way we are. I just can't explain it, it's like…" He searched for words to describe what he felt, but couldn't find any that did it justice.

"Like you let her down?" Ronon finished for him.

"Exactly. Have we talked about this before?"

"No," Ronon replied, standing up straight. "I know what it feels like, to lose someone. When you've trusted each other with your lives, it starts to feel like they're part of you; you'd do anything to help them."

"Yeah," John said, agreeing perfectly. "You've been through this before?" The man nodded, but didn't elaborate.

"How do you get through it?"

"You just let go. You did everything you could, and now it's time to move on." He pushed off from the door frame and walked away, leaving John alone.

* * *

_-iIi-_

Teyla ran, scrambling through the dense trees, traveling as far away as possible from the ship. She didn't know how far she needed to be, so she just kept running. She had been running awhile since the ship had skimmed through the trees and skidded across the ground. The cold damp air burned her lungs with every breath, but she dared not stop.

The jolt through the ground preceded the sound. She wasted no time and placed her face right on the ground, shielding her head with her arms. The blast followed, obscenely loud to the point of hurting her ears.

Once the echo had dissipated, she only heard her ears ringing. She sat up and looked around, taking in the sense of freedom. She took a handful of conifer needles and dirt, taking note of how the forest smelled. She regarded it, waiting for it to disappear, or for herself to wake up aboard a hive ship, to start that hell all over again.

The clod of dirt, and the smell of the forest still remained. She cast her eyes above. The sky was in twilight and the stars above were still present, visible through the treetops either remaining from night into morning or appearing from day into night.

One large star stood apart from the rest and Teyla blinked when she imagined it moving. She stared at it for a time, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks. The star continued moving, seeming to travel in a straight line from her perspective below the trees.

She heard a whining noise which sounded like the call of some animal. The sound grew, and she began to fearfully recognize it as a wraith dart. The sound continued to become louder, which meant the ship was coming closer. Teyla stood up, preparing to find shelter when something grabbed her arm. She yelled out, attempting to flee just as she was jerked downward.

She came face to face with the queen, who motioned that she be silent. "He cannot see you if you are with me," she whispered.

"What is going on?" Teyla demanded.

"The ship," the wraith said, gesturing upward to the bright star which was moving steadily toward the horizon. "They've sent a scout to ensure we are dead."

"We should seek shelter," she said, again preparing to run. She was again jerked downward, "The scout they sent is a weak minded soldier He won't be able to see us if I don't allow it."

The dart approached them; the high pitch scream becoming deafening it flew directly overhead and onward as if it never noticed them. The trees rustled and swayed quietly a few moments after it had gone. Teyla exhaled, not realizing she had been holding her breath.

"How is that possible?" she asked. She looked to the queen, the reason becoming apparent just as she asked. She was strongly telepathic, even to the point of being able to kill another wraith at will. She must have been confusing the scout.

"They may send a few on foot," she said, ignoring her question, "but they will likely concentrate on the remains of the ship. We should wait here."

Teyla waited still and quiet, watching and listening. Minutes passed, and the sound of the darts had disappeared, but there was rustling of leaves, faint but perceptible. She knelt low, hiding behind the shrubbery, looking in the direction of the noise.

Two wraith appeared out of the trees, walking stealthily and casting their eyes all around searching for them. By the way they looked they were of higher status than drones or soldiers.

The dart approached again, appearing swiftly above the trees near the two wraith. The dart caught up the two in its beam and then departed, screaming into the distance accompanied by a low thunder.

The queen exhaled slowly, collapsing in a controlled manner to the ground as if exhausted.

"What happened?" She was thoroughly confused regarding her situation. "Why did they attack us?"

"I cannot predict their motives," the wraith said. "However, they are revengeful."

She rose to her feet, scanning the area briefly. "We still have a long ways to reach the stargate. We should depart now."

"Are there any more looking for us?" She asked looking around her as if to confirm they were alone.

"Perhaps," the other replied, beginning to walk down the slight hill. Teyla sat still and watched her depart.

The wraith stopped walking and turned back to her, smiling slightly. "You may wish to follow me if you want to find the stargate," There was a hint of amusement in her voice. Teyla struggled to her feet, the uneven ground and rocks making her stumble as she followed.

They hiked a short distance through the trees, the woods becoming more dense as they moved. She began to smell smoke in the air, the trees and the shrubs becoming charred as if a fire had swept through the area. The treeline stopped abruptly, showing a crater and the disintegrated remains of a wraith vessel scattered evenly around. Smoke still rose and one or two small fires still burned at the edge.

"Teyla," the wraith called from a few steps away. She became aware that she was standing dumbly with her mouth agape. "Is this the ship we were travelling in?"

"Yes," she replied, as if it were obvious. "Fortunately, the explosion meant the search for us wasn't carried on too seriously."

"How far are we from the stargate?" She wondered how long they would be forced to hike.

"A day and a half on foot, perhaps longer."

She remembered how the wraith had said there was a small settlement near the stargate. How did the creature intend to move through undetected?


	7. A Weapon Never Used

John was ready for the mission, he had on his full mission gear, the vest, the gun, and the uniform. He walked through the hallways into the gate-room, the footfalls of his heavy boots making a satisfying clomp in the narrow hall. He burst up the steps quickly toward the meeting room, awaiting yet another mission briefing.

He sauntered confidently across the control platform into the meeting room where McKay and Ronon were waiting. Ronon was wearing his usual rugged outfit with is gun strapped to his side, but Mckay was still in his work clothes and not in mission gear. John's happy mood evaporated when he saw Dr. Weir's expression. She looked worried, like she became when making a tough decision.

"What happened?" he asked, his intuition telling him that he wouldn't like what he was about to hear. The doors behind him shuttered, which meant the proceedings were intended to be secret.

"Well, nothing happened." McKay said, "It's just that we've learned a little more about the purpose of the weapon we're supposed to find."

"What about it," There was a chair available across from Weir which he plopped down in.

"The device is far more dangerous than we thought," Weir said.

"Isn't that a good thing?" John asked.

McKay shook his head solemnly, "It's a device similar to the one found in the milky way galaxy which helped the SGC defeat the replicators, except this is programmed to work with wraith."

"Woah," John said as the old mission reports he'd read months ago were dredged up. "That's the device which could disintegrate living matter?"

"Yes," Weir said, "And this one works the same way, except only on wraith."

That kind of power could end the wraith immediately, so what were they worried about?

"You don't need much imagination to understand what that kind of destruction it could cause if it were to fall into the wrong hands." Weir said. "And the truth is, I don't think anyone is capable of safely wielding that weapon, not even us."

"I can imagine it already," Mckay said. "The boys at the SGC, not to mention the IOA and whatever other secret organizations there are would have their own quiet war to try to take control of it. And there is information to suggest that it could be re-programmed to work with other species, or specific racial groups."

"Wait," Sheppard said, "Do they know about it?"

"No," Weir answered. "McKay, Ronon myself and you are the only ones that we're aware of."

He looked to each of them, a little bit confused about what was bothering them. "So what's the problem?"

"A device capable of disintegrating living matter," Weir repeated with emphasis.

"I got that, but seriously, why is that a bad thing?"

"Because it brings to mind genocide and a lot of other nasty-things," McKay said.

"So we'll only use it against the wraith." It hit him as he said that, how that would sound to somebody who didn't know what wraith were and what they did. Also, if the any secret organization on Earth were to get word of it, there could be very bad consequences. He liked to imagine he could trust everybody assigned to the expedition, but he knew that wasn't the case. But how could he give up something like this?

Weir was looking at him worriedly. Her stare made him uncomfortable. What did she want? Didn't she think those wraith bastards deserved worse than that?

"Officially," Weir said, "I'm canceling the mission for 'reasonable suspicion of threat to safety.' I haven't submitted my report to the SGC yet, and that explanation should hold if I remain vague about why we were initially interested in that planet."

"It's still out there," Ronon added.

"What are we going to do?" John asked, "Ignore it?"

Dr. Weir leaned forward, addressing all three of them. "What do _you_ think we should do about it?"

Each member around the table looked from one to the other, waiting for an argument or more reasoning.

"Well, let's go find it," John suggested, "get there before anyone else does."

"I suggest we leave it," Weir said.

"Don't forget that it's still just sitting out there," McKay said. "Anyone can find it and use it for themselves. Although it has been sitting there for over ten thousand years, and if it's been hidden that long, I doubt anyone is going to stumble across it tomorrow."

"There has never been this many wraith before," Ronon said.

"I agree," Weir said. "I don't think the wraith have ever been this determined against a common enemy in a very long time. We need to exercise extreme caution."

"Well then we go there to check it out," McKay suggested. "Just the three of us; we go there, search for any useful information, then disable the weapon."

"But not permanently" John added.

That comment garnered a worried look from Weir, which he countered with an innocent shrug.

"I know we may have the best of intentions," Weir said, "but can we really justify wielding that kind of weapon? We also can't guarantee that somebody, even from earth won't try to use the weapon against other people, or a specific race of people. This would be off the record. I can't order you to do anything, so you can decide for yourself."

John sat back in his chair, thinking. It was a huge decision to make. On one hand there was the potential to wipe out the wraith threat completely, but on the other was the responsibility and potential for a lot of destruction, and a lot of people dead.

"let's take care of it," John said.

"Then please," Weir begged, "proceed with caution."

* * *

_-iIi-_

The sun had risen over the treetops, irritating her eyes and causing her to squint. She had always preferred nighttime and dim light, just like the others of her kind did. She supposed it was genetic, and that there was nothing to be done about it.

She traveled onward because she had to, even though the light became more blinding with each passing minute.

They had found a stream to follow, the same one she'd seen from above which led straight to the stargate. They were still a day's journey outside of the settlement and wouldn't arrive there until this time tomorrow if they kept on through the night. She knew it would be necessary to wait half a day to time their arrival by night, that way they wouldn't be seen.

Teyla had taken immediately to the journey, walking ahead and breaking the trail. She was agile on her feet and had excellent endurance.

They came to a wooded spot where the stream went around a bend and resumed path on the other side. The shade of the trees offered her comfort, hiding the blinding rays of the sun.

"Teyla," she called. Teyla stopped and turned around.

"I need to stay in the shade"

"What's the matter?" Teyla asked, showing concern. She wondered for a moment why Teyla would show such concern when she realized her face was streaked with tears from the sunlight.

"The sunlight," she said. "My kind is not meant for it. I will need to camp here for the rest of the day to pass through the village at night. That way I reach the stargate unseen. You can go on if you wish," she said to Teyla. "It's possible you could pass through without incident."

Teyla hesitated for a brief moment. "I feel weary as well, I will rest here until nightfall."

* * *

-_iIi_-

Teyla ignored the cold water which ran around her feet and ankles. She stood perfectly still, waiting and watching. The sun had begun to set behind the trees, leaving less glare on the water's surface and allowing her view of the bottom. She had seen a few fish swim by to her right and to her left, just out of reach.

Her own need for food reminded her of one very disturbing fact about this wraith. Even after all she had done for her, she was still a _wraith._ Teyla knew eventually she would need to feed in order to survive. It just didn't add up though; she couldn't have gone through all that she had just to be a means of sustenance for her.

A fish came into view, lightly swimming against the stream and allowing itself to be pushed backward by the current. The fish was unable to see Teyla, and swam right to where her hands were waiting. She grabbed the fish by its belly and by the portion just before its tail and pulled it quickly out of the water, holding the large animal tightly against herself to battle its valiant attempts to kick itself free.

The fish was beautiful, shiny and well proportioned with slight hues of pink mixed with the green of its back; its size could allow a decent meal for several.

She trudged clumsily through the water and back to shore, clinging tightly to her catch. On the shore, the fire she had kindled earlier still burned on the rocks. Teyla set the fish down on a clean area. She froze, chills following her spine, partly from the water but also when she remembered the knife she'd been given. She drew her coat open and retrieved the sheathed knife. Her mind gave her the urge to throw it as far away as possible, to avoid thinking about that horrible time, but she really could use it.

She drew out the knife and looked it over, the light from the sun poking through the tree trunks glinted off the jagged blade and into her eyes. She ignored the thought and set to work cleaning the fish.

Teyla looked up the shore a little ways and could still see the wraith, seeming to rest against a tree with her eyes closed. She spared a second in a dozen to make sure she hadn't moved. Her mind kept coming back to the knife she had kept, and each time, she resolved she wouldn't use it unless she was forced to defend herself.

Teyla cooked the fish on a flat rock placed on the fire, and considering the limited tools the meal turned out very acceptable. After it had cooled, she took the thin slab of rock she had placed the two fillets on and carried it toward the trees. She walked up the bank to an area within sight of where the wraith had fallen asleep. The wraith awoke at her approach, not moving and looking very tired.

"I found food," Teyla said, finding a comfortable tree to lean against.

"So you have," the wraith said, her face blank as though not completely awake.

Nightfall was approaching, and a few stars began to appear, two small moons coming into view casting dim white light all around. Teyla thought about walking out on her own, but the thought of losing sight of the wraith made her uneasy. She was sure she could find the village on her own, the shores of the stream were littered with evidence of people and old foot trails snaking through the woods. Her fear was of being surprised later. If this wraith would attack her, she wanted to be right there to know about it. As the adage said, 'keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.'

"There's enough for two," She said cautiously, "if you want it."

The wraith stirred, and sat up. She glanced upward at the moons, her eyes reflecting a strange green from the light. "You have grown fearful of me," the wraith said through the dark. Teyla didn't bother to wonder how she knew that.

"You are wraith. How can I ignore your means of sustenance?"

"Are you afraid that I will harm you?"

"I don't believe you will harm me." She considered everything that had happened to her in the past few days and everything this wraith had done for her. The two feelings conflicted with each other, vying for resolution. "How can I reconcile what you are? If it's not me, then someone else will have to die in order for you to live."

"And what would you do if it came to that?" she asked.

Teyla was torn about what she would say, but she knew what was right.

"I would try to stop you."

The gusting breeze which had been whispering all afternoon stopped abruptly, leaving a complete silence.

"You are something unique, Teyla. You don't want to see anybody harmed, but neither do you wish to harm me. You have much capacity for love, as well as bravery."

"Thank you," Teyla said wonderingly. "I suppose I could say the same about you. You are certainly not like any other wraith that I know of."

"You do not need to fear that I would harm someone, I do not require to feed to stay alive. And to answer your earlier offer, yes, I would appreciate it."


	8. Trapped

Teyla followed behind her walking slowly on the jagged trail. The moonlight offered some help to see the trail, but at times the steep cliff to the side blocked the light, leaving no way to see what was ahead. The wraith was obviously adept at navigating through darkness. She was moving swiftly over the rocks more agilely than her appearance would suggest possible. She stopped periodically, waiting for Teyla to catch up.

"Mind that rock," she said, "it's…" Teyla's foot caught on the rock, sending her falling forward. She braced herself, breaking the fall with her forearms. Luckily the ground there was somewhat soft and covered with a patch of grass.

"Perhaps I should stop and wait for light," Teyla said, sitting up and brushing her sleeves off. She knew that wouldn't be fair to her. They were close to the village; she could already see the lights in the distance and smell the wood smoke. Passing through in the daytime would probably be suicide for this wraith.

"We don't have far to walk now," the wraith said. "I'll help guide you if necessary." She turned around, but as she did, she lost her footing and the ground gave way. She fell over in a tumble along with the rocks of the ledge which had fallen loose. There was a delay, and then the sound of a body impacting gravel reached the spot where she was sitting. She scrambled over to the rock-face and looked down. The lack of light prevented her from seeing anything.

"Hello?" She called, her voice just over a whisper from fear of being heard from the village nearby. The sound of rocks moving reached her in reply.

"Are you all right?" she called.

"I cannot move," The wraith answered. There was agony in her voice. She made sounds of struggle, like she was attempting to climb the rock wall. The sounds stopped after awhile.

"Are you injured?," She called, a little louder than she wanted. "Are you there?"

"I am-," She moaned, "I am here Teyla," She answered, each word uttered with a struggle, "My leg is causing me pain; I believe-it-broken."

She couldn't quite believe that. "Why doesn't it heal?" she asked. She had seen wraith survive far greater injury than that, seeming to heal instantly to continue on.

"I don't have such ability," she replied. "Teyla," she said, voice carrying a sense of authority and finality, "Continue on to the stargate." She gasped, her breaths sounding irregular. "I will be healed within a few days, well enough to find my own way."

She sensed uncertainty in her statement, like she herself doubted if she could survive that long. She hesitated to move, wondering what she should do. It would be easy for her to continue, but now she definitely felt it wasn't right to leave her.

"How bad is it?" she asked, needing to know.

"It's bleeding," she said. "It hasn't stopped."

"I'll come back Syntyche," Teyla assured "I'll bring someone who can help you." She waited for her to tell her no, that she would be just fine, but she didn't.

"Thank you Teyla," she said. Teyla took that as permission to try and help.

She took off swiftly as possible, measuring each step carefully on the rough trail leading toward the village. She didn't know exactly where the stargate was, but most places she'd seen had built up around the gate, making it a centerpiece of the community.

She entered the main street, staying out of the light cast by lanterns placed on the door frames of the buildings. Nobody was out in the street, and she took care not to make too much noise for fear of drawing attention. She looked closely at the signs placed over the businesses and shops, seeing if she could recognize the language to try and find out where she was. The writing was familiar, like a Minarian derivative. She could probably guess this place's address if shown a list of minarian planets. At least that narrowed the list.

The heart of the town wasn't very large, and it wasn't long before she was running along a narrow road, densely wooded on either side. Her running caused her to trip occasionally on a root or a pothole.

She stopped running, slowing to a walk and then to a still silent stop, her breath controlled and silent. The presence of wraith pulled gently at the edge of her mind, warning her that they were close, very close. She stood perfectly motionless, expecting at any moment to see green reflective eyes appear out of the black ether.

But were they really there? The feeling grew and subsided intermittently, as if these wraith were appearing and disappearing.

If there were wraith here and waiting, they weren't there to cull, or to terrorize, they were there to find her and to find the queen. They were blocking the way to the stargate, waiting for them to try and pass.

Nothing was attacking her. She knew one of them could be only feet away from her, and yet nothing was moving.

Perhaps they didn't know who she was. Perhaps they didn't want to suggest anything in the village was wrong in order to lure them into their trap.

What if there was nothing there at all?

She stood still and motionless, hesitating to even breathe so she could hear the faintest noise. The wraith presence was gone, dulled as if it was never there.

Her mind vacillated between the decisions of proceeding or turning back, leaving her with the sense that she didn't know what to do. She calmed her mind and thought objectively. She needed to change plans, just to be safe. She glanced behind her, making sure the way was safe, and turned around, walking swiftly in the direction she came.

She arrived back at the village. No longer worried about making a commotion, she allowed her footfalls to impact heavily, turning into the first lit doorway she could find. The heavy wooden door was unlocked, and the iron latch opened easily. She burst in and closed the door behind her with a loud thud which probably was loud enough to get the whole town's attention. She waited at the door, breathing heavily as she looked around the area.

She saw a few tables set up with the chairs upside down on top, and a counter, behind which bottles of alcohol were stacked up on a shelf. The layout of the building with multiple floors and stairs leading up to the second floor suggested it was also a place to stay.

The stomp of heavy footfalls on a wooden floor sounded throughout the building. A man wearing a semi-formal suit and an apron walked out from a doorway behind the counter.

"Can I help you miss?" he asked politely. She opened her mouth, looking for the right words, but still indecisive about what she was going to do next. She just stood there, mouth agape looking confused.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "You look like you've just seen a wraith."

She considered the irony of that observation. "I'd like to buy…" She stopped, remembering that she had no money to buy anything. "I need to see a doctor." She honestly had no idea why she said that. Perhaps it could allow her to avoid further questioning by suggesting that she was unwell?

"Oh," the man said as though disappointed, "The house just at the edge of town, all by itself." He pointed in the general direction of the road. "Now get out," he said rudely.

Teyla opened the door a crack and looked out, scanning for signs of trouble.

"What are you doing?" the man asked, looking annoyed. "What's out there?"

"Nothing," she said, trying and failing not to look worried.

She walked out, taking care to be quiet, and hurried along the street. She came to the end of the street where the houses and stores abruptly turned into wilderness. The third house on the left was dark, but a lantern burned in the doorway, suggesting visitors were welcome.

She walked up to the door tentatively, considering what she was going to say. Should she tell them about the wraith guarding the stargate, or would that make things worse? What could she say about her injured 'friend'?

She stood there in front of the doorway, the weight of each decision holding her back. She felt helpless, like each available choice would result in disaster.

She flinched when the door opened, the noise of the latch and hinge sounding impossibly loud in the stillness of the night. A woman peered out through the chained door.

"What are you doing miss?"

She was speechless and almost to the point of saying it was a mistake and turning away.

"Are you here for a physician?"

"Yes," she said, unable to think of anything else.

"Come in," the woman said, closing the door and sliding the chain lock off. The door opened again and a lantern lit inside. She walked up the steps and inside, feeling completely out of control over what was happening.

"You're not from around here," the woman said, closing the door behind her. The house was small but comfortable, and was lit warmly by gas lanterns on the wall.

"Just here for business?" The woman asked. She could see better now from the woman's face that she was older, perhaps nearing fifty.

"Yes-I mean no," she said, contradicting herself. "I don't know."

The woman looked confused. "You don't know?"

"I came here by mistake. A…" she paused for breath, "A friend of mine needs help."

An older middle aged man walked out from a side hallway, presumably a doctor. "Sorry," he said, "I couldn't help but hearing that a friend of yours is in trouble?"

"Yes. It's just…. I'm not sure you would want to help me if you knew. It might put more people in danger."

"Knew what?" The man asked. She hesitated, looking between the both of them. She eyed the door, thinking that it would be better to just leave.

"Now hold on," the man said, gesturing away from the door. "Why don't we just sit at the table and discuss this in detail. He guided her through a narrow doorway into what looked like a kitchen. He preceded her to the table and lit the candles using a lighter.

"Sit," he ordered. Teyla obliged, resting on the wooden chair. Being off her feet and sitting in a proper chair brought attention to her sore legs and feet.

"Now," the man said, "Why don't we start with names. My name is Cedrus, and I am a doctor." He looked to the woman. "This is my wife Cholla."

"I am Teyla Emmagan," she responded.

"Emmagan," he said thoughtfully. "Am I to understand that you are Athosian?"

"Yes," she said, becoming curious. "How did you know?"

"It's an Athosian family name," Cedrus said. "I just happen to know a few of them. Now onto the bigger question, What are you doing here? And who is this friend that needs a doctor?"

What was the best way to present the information? Maybe it would be better to leave and avoid explaining anything at all.

"Why are you so hesitant to say? What danger do you anticipate?"

Teyla exhaled, letting go of the anxiety she had built up through withholding the truth. "There is someone up on the ridge just to the east of here. She fell off the ledge in a landslide and has injured herself badly."

The woman who was standing in the doorway gasped, "What were you doing up there this time of night?"

"It was by accident."

"Then we shouldn't delay," the man said without moving. "Now, let's hear the rest of the story." He said this in a scrutinizing manner, as if he suspected some form of deception to follow. He knew she was withholding information.

"Very well. The story is a bit long, but to summarize, I have recently escaped from aboard a wraith hive ship. Someone aboard the ship, in a position of authority, helped me escape and took me to the nearest planet. Our ship was shot down a day's journey to the east of here, and we've been hiking ever since to try and make it to the stargate."

The other two were silent, the doctor resting his chin in his hand thoughtfully. "You've been through a lot," no doubt apparent. "That may explain your pallid and thin appearance."

She looked over herself, wishing to have a mirror to verify what he just said.

"Is this friend of yours a wraith worshipper? Is that what you were afraid of?"

"No," Teyla said, resisting the urge to laugh at how outrageous this would sound. "She _is_ a wraith."

Neither of them looked like they knew how to respond. She considered bolting for the door for fear they might suspect her of wraith collaboration and decide to imprison her-or worse. However, she was generally a good judge of intentions, and she saw nothing in this doctor or the woman to suggest they would do such a thing.

Both of them were silently exchanging looks, the woman's more urgent and fearful than the man's.

"Almost all of wraith females I've heard of," Cedrus said thoughtfully "are the queens themselves."

"I did say she was in a position of authority."

"Indeed," he laughed. "Now, I can't pretend to know what would motivate you to ask for help, however I can boil it down to two possibilities. One is that your mind is being manipulated, of which the wraith purportedly excellent at doing. Or secondly, you genuinely believe this wraith queen deserves help."

The woman broke away from her spot in the doorway and walked up beside the man. "Cedrus, you cannot seriously entertain helping her!"

He didn't argue, but gave the woman a look of understanding and control of the situation. He turned again to Teyla, "What is this wraith's name?" he asked.

Teyla was too surprised to respond right away, struggling both to remember the name and to understand why the man would feel compelled to ask that. Had the wraith even mentioned a name?

"Why," the woman asked. "Does it make a difference?"

"Indeed it does," Cedrus said softly.

"Her name is Syntyche," Teyla answered. Not knowing why or where she had heard that. She only knew that was her name.

Cedrus became animated immediately, wasting no time in standing up and making for the door.

"Cedrus," Cholla pleaded, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to help."

"What?" she asked in disbelief. "No," she said firmly, staring at Teyla, "what we need to do is take this one to the stargate and force her to leave. We will not have wraith collaborators among us."

"I know what I'm doing," he said to her calmly. "Perhaps this will prove that it was true," he said quietly and meaningfully. The two exchanged a look, the meaning of which Teyla was unsure of. She gave Teyla an accusing glare. Under different circumstances, she would not have tolerated her implying that she was collaborating with wraith.

"Cholla," Cedrus said, "think carefully, this just doesn't add up. Why would she come to us instead of escaping to tell other wraith? The stargate is just at the other end of town."

Cholla couldn't come up with an answer.

"Now," Cedrus said, attention focusing back to Teyla. "Why does this wraith need help? Aren't they very agile and capable of healing quickly?"

"I'm not entirely sure, She told me she doesn't need to feed, which I suppose limits her healing ability somewhat."

The man seemed to smile minutely, although it could have been the angle of the light.

"We should delay no further," taking a coat off a hook on the wall. "I'll gather some equipment, and we'll be off."

"Cedrus stop this right now." He stopped what he was doing and diverted his attention to her. "You can't seriously bring that _thing _into our home?"

"If I remember correctly, we should be in no danger."

"What if your memory is wrong?" Cholla accused.

"Don't accuse me of faulty memory," he said tersely. "I can remember it clearly."

"You're going to get hurt," she insisted angrily.

"It's my call," he said, "I promise I'll be careful." With that he stepped out of the room, Cholla following him with the probable intention of further dissuading him.

The man proceeded to the other side of the hallway to remove a satchel hanging from a hook on the wall, and then walked out the door to his side yard into a small shed. The morning dew had already begun to form, making the air heavy and wet and showing on the windows of the house. She looked to the east and saw the violet black glow of the coming sunrise. She paused while the man was digging through a pile things in his shed, calling out with her mind in order to search for Syntyche. Over the couple of days they had spent traveling, She had become accustomed to her presence and had learned her identity.

She found her, still alive, but still injured and in pain.

"Where exactly is this friend of yours?" Cedrus asked as he gathered supplies, one of which was a canvas stretcher.

"Just on that ridge not far from here," She pointed to the direction she had come from.

He froze, staring in the direction of the ridge, his mind calculating the endeavor. "I would usually ask several people on such a rescue, but I doubt anyone would help with this."

His statement brought up a point that was intriguing. "Why are you so willing to help?"

"We must not delay," he said, ignoring the question. "It'll be bright enough by the time we get back that people may see us."

She took off ahead and the man followed, leading the way first along the road, then where the road turned into a foot trail which led exactly the way she had come.

The area under the trees was still almost pitch dark save for a few beams of dim moonlight going through. She slowed down, not wanting to trip or lose the trail. She was already having a hard time seeing where the trail went and found herself straying off occasionally.

"Here," She said as she had started climbing the hill. "She's at the base of this hill."

"I see," Cedrus said. "We should circle around through the woods to reach her at the base." He took off from there and led the way, this time she followed.

It was a short walk to the base of the hill, but the woods around were densely packed and the ground was uneven with rocks and sticks.

The doctor must have been very familiar with the area, because he brought them right to where the incident occurred. She saw Syntyche lying in the same position she was before. She hurried over to her, the boulders preventing her from proceeding as fast as she wanted.

The sky was becoming lighter now, just enough to see the extent of the wraith's injuries. Her leg was bent in an unusual way, and there were blood stains on the clothing and on the ground around the injury. She landed on a patch of smaller rocks, avoiding most of the boulders on the way down.

"Hold on," Cedrus said, running up behind Teyla. "Oh no," he exclaimed, eyes wide with urgency. He knelt down and checked for a pulse. "She's still alive, but the pulse is fast and weak."

He set his satchel down on a rock and dug through it to retrieve a pair of scissors along with some other dressings and bandages.

"It's a closed fracture," he said as he worked, "but the skin around is torn badly."

She thought ahead to what they might need and walked back into the woods to look for a stick to serve as a splint. She brought it back to Cedrus and offered it to him.

"Thank you Teyla," he said, taking the makeshift splint gratefully. The wraith began to move, wincing as the doctor worked. Her eyes opened and searched wildly around as if she couldn't see.

"Sorry, just a little more," he said regretfully. "We'll get you to safety soon." He continued wrapping the bandages for the open gash on her head. Teyla did not envy the bruise which appeared on her head, visible despite her color of skin.

"Syntyche," She said, trying to get her attention. "I've brought help." the wraith nodded as if she understood, but couldn't focus her eyes on either of them.

"She hasn't aged at all," Cedrus muttered quietly to himself.

His comment gained her attention and her head shot around to him. "Aged? Since when?"

"Since I saw her last, when I was just ten years old." That was a curious statement, but he didn't elaborate. "Take her shoulder," he ordered, "We'll escort her back." She did as he asked and helped pick her up, awkwardly but gently shoving her onto the stretcher.

"The bleeding has stopped, but she's still weak." He walked to the head of the stretcher, and she followed by taking the foot, obliging to lead the way back.

They maneuvered slowly through the trees, the dim scattered light of the cloudy morning illuminating the way before them more with each minute. It was taking them too long to return; even the man's house at the edge of the town could likely be seen by now. They would have to be fortunate not to be spotted.

They finally reached the point where the trail widened into the road. The sun had risen in earnest now, and patches of blue sky were visible through the dense layer of clouds. They both continued on, ignoring the possibility of an uncomfortable encounter with one of the townspeople.

As the three of them reached the doorstep of the doctor's house, Syntyche's eyes opened, as if she were taking note of her situation. Still, she was completely silent.

She unlatched the door, thinking of Cholla, the man's wife who would be waiting inside. Obviously this wouldn't go over very well. She just hoped it wouldn't result in violence between a married couple.

There was suddenly fear and worry. Who was she to ask these people for help? Why should she burden them with this? She feared her actions would result in discord and chaos among this family and among the townspeople.

"Straight ahead," Cedrus said as they entered. She could smell the odor of something being cooked, reminding her of the kinds of food her people prepared for breakfast. Staying long with the people from Earth and their way of eating had deprived her of experiencing that for quite awhile.

She walked straight ahead into a room equipped with shelves of what looked like medicines, as well as instruments, a doctor's tools of trade.

Right there, he said, signaling to the bed. They set the stretcher down on top of the bed.

"Now," he said. "I have the opportunity to work properly."

She retreated to the other side of the room, sitting down on a stiff wooden chair while the doctor worked. The chair, despite it being rickety and stiff, felt like such a blessing to have.

* * *

Elizabeth watched the MALP trundle across the floor in through the barrier of the stargate. Colonel Sheppard's team stood ready at a distance, waiting for the report to be sent back from the other side. She was taking particular interest in this mission. Sending a team through without filing a mission report, without notifying someone at the SGC, without even a mention made her extremely nervous. It felt like she was breaking the law. While the rules of operation permitted her to authorize missions without filing a proposal, it always required a mission report be filed.

The gate operator signaled to the team, and all three of them headed out side by side through the gate. The gate remained open for just a moment, then shut down, leaving them separated.

Elizabeth went back to her desk and sat down to continue her review of the personal supply requisition. It was important for several different people to proofread the request since people sometimes tried to sneak items through which would be unwise to have in the city.

Cell phones were always a perennial favorite for some unknown reason. It seemed everyone wanted the newest smart-phone, despite being two million light years out of range. Of course it was a huge security risk to have a device capable of transmitting data wirelessly over large distances. Such devices could undoubtedly be hacked by a technologically advanced enemy and used to leak information.

A movement in the corner of her eye broke her attention from the report. Zelenka was hurrying across the ramp to her office, looking like he did when he was _very_ worried.

"Dr. Weir," he called out before he had even reached her office. "You need to stop them from leaving. It could be a trap."

"Now wait," Dr. Weir said as Raddik stopped in front of her desk to catch his breath. "What are you talking about?"

"That record, the planet, the mission," he said through heavy breaths. "The record of the gate address was definitely faked."

"Colonel Sheppard's team has already left."

"Then you need to call them back," Zelenka replied worriedly.

Elizabeth tapped the microphone on her ear piece, allowing her to speak with the gate operator. "This is Dr. Weir, I need you to call Colonel Sheppard's team back through the gate."

A slight pause, "Understood," Chuck said over the radio.

"Now," Elizabeth said to Raddik. "Please explain what you've found." She motioned to the seat, which Raddik wasted no time in taking.

"The record Rodney found," he started, "as you know saved itself to one of the secondary computer systems in order to escape being erased by a database sweep. He assumed that the delete command which initiated that action was caused by the ancients a long time ago."

Raddik paused, and looked at the screen of tablet PC he was carrying. "The time stamp of the file is only from a few months ago." He turned it around so Dr. Weir could see.

Elizabeth studied what he was showing her, not yet able to understand what Raddik was saying. "What's the significance of that?" she asked.

"The date coincides with exactly when the wraith computer virus infected our systems. That file was created by that virus."

The stargate down in the gate room activated, the two occupants in the office so accustomed to it that they didn't even look.

"Oh no," Elizabeth said, the realization finally hitting her. "So do you mean that file was planted here as some kind of….bait?"

"It's possible," Zelenka said.

"But wait," Weir said as one aspect of this explanation ceased to make sense. "Why didn't the wraith put it out in the open for us to find instead of putting it where we might never have discovered it?"

"They did put it in the open," Zelenka said. He returned his attention to the tablet. "It was added to the main database at the exact moment the virus infected, and was then driven out when Rodney and I isolated the virus and attempted to restore the database intact."

"Dr. Weir," Chuck said over the radio. "I've been unable to establish contact with Colonel Sheppard's team."

"Have you tried boosting the signal?" Weir asked in return.

"Yes Ma'am," he answered. "The MALP is receiving no response."

Dr. Weir and Zelenka looked direly at each other. She stood up and walked swiftly over to the control room.

"What's happening?" Weir asked commandingly.

"We haven't been able to contact Colonel Sheppard's team, and the MALP is showing no life signs in the immediate area."

Elizabeth looked over to the video feed from the MALP. The area in front of the gate looked mundane enough. It was looking over a grassy field with a gray sky overhead.

"Then what happened to them?" Weir asked quietly.

The video feed suddenly showed movement in the sky, a small dot, not bigger than two pixels on the screen.

"What's that?" Weir asked.

"I'm not sure," Zelenka added, looking more closely at the screen. The moving object seemed to stay still for a moment, and then suddenly exploded to fill the field of view just before the video feed cut out.

"Woah," Chuck exclaimed.

"It was a dart," Zelenka said. The gate made a snapping noise, like an electric arc. The event horizon flashed brightly twice and then disappeared with a snap like a gunshot, loud enough to cause pain in her ears.

"What was that?" Weir shouted.

"They probably shot the gate on the other side," Zelenka said. That's how it behaves if you input a burst of energy."

"Dial it again," Dr. Weir ordered. "Let's stop them before they can escape."

The gate operator did as he was told, and dialed the sequence quickly, taking less than two seconds. He pressed the activation button, which should have activated the gate, however the gate responded by returning the stored energy instead of establishing a wormhole.

"It won't work," Chuck said. "I'm sure I put it in right."

"We're too late," Elizabeth said. She stared at the closed gate and then at Raddik, glancing around the room waiting for someone to have an idea.

"They could be anywhere by now," Raddik said, quickly busying himself with one of the workstations.

Elizabeth knew better than to bother him now; he wouldn't waste time.

* * *

Syntyche awoke, feeling horrible. She assessed her leg and noticed that the bandages had been changed since the first had been put on in the woods. She tilted her head slightly and looked around.

She was in a small room, nicely decorated, with doctor's equipment lining the cabinets on the side of the wall.

Teyla had persuaded a doctor to help her, someone from the local village. Why hadn't she returned to her home in Atlantis?

Her state of mind before this point had been dazed at best. She could only remember blurry bits and pieces. She moved her broken leg and winced at the feeling. The bone was definitely healing, but not quite finished yet, and the skin around was probably scarred by now.

She was always quick to heal, despite forgoing the _gifts_ wraith usually had in that regard. This time however, she had been very close to dying. If Teyla hadn't helped her, then she may very well have died there.

It was curious to remember how often such things had happened to her. She had called many planets 'home.' Each one orbited around their sun at a different rate than the next one, and for that reason, a year had lost its meaning. It was amazing to think on what narrow margins you lived on constantly, evading death narrowly on a daily basis and not even realizing it. Considering all the time that had passed for her, it was both incredible and terrifying.

Someone was moving out in the hallway. She raised her head again, feeling a painful headache start as she did so. Through the head splitting ache, she sensed the presence of other wraith nearby, fleetingly, and then it was gone.

The door cracked open slightly, and Teyla looked through the door.

"I'm sorry," Teyla said apologetically, "am I disturbing you?'

Syntyche lie still for just a second, wondering about what she had sensed, but then dismissed it as perhaps an effect of a pain relieving drug.

"No," Syntyche said, resting her head back.

A man walked in cautiously behind her. "Hello," he said, voice reserved but polite. "I guess I should properly introduce myself. My name is Cedrus, and I am a doctor."

He walked into the room and over to her bedside. His manner was timid but not entirely fearful. "I'm just going to check the bandages," he said as he began untying the wrappings around her leg.

"I've met you before," the man, Cedrus, said, "years ago."

His statement interested her. She didn't immediately recall ever meeting anyone like him.

"It was about fourty-five years ago, when I was ten years old."

She tried to remember the years, but she had moved between planets too often to remember where she was at the time.

"My little brother who was five years old at the time, wandered off one day. He was always the adventurous type, and I suppose he thought he got mad one day and decided to leave." He smiled, nostalgically.

That gave her the needed context; now she remembered. "I was in the area at the time," she said, recalling the incident.

"So you do remember?" Cedrus said. "It really was you."

She nodded and smiled slightly, remembering the young boy and his family.

"After a full day and night of searching," he continued, "He suddenly appeared on our doorstep early the next morning, perfectly fine. He only said that someone had helped him, but he couldn't say who."

"You and your father came looking for me," Syntyche said, remembering. "You wanted to thank me."

"It took some effort to find you," Cedrus said, he laughed slightly. "I guess you remember what happened when we found you."

"You and your father were very awkward. You said 'thank you' as quickly as you could and then left."

"Neither of us knew what to make of you.' Cedrus continued. "No wraith had visited our world in a generation, and few remembered what they even looked like, which I suppose was fortunate in more than one way." He stood silent for a moment, his face becoming more serious. "Thank you," he said sincerely, "for warning us."

Syntyche nodded in reply, knowing what he meant.

"Warning about what?" Teyla asked.

"For the next year, she had become a sort of friend to our family, albeit secret from the others in the town She gave us warning that a hive ship was on its way to our world." He looked down and paused what he was doing. "It was enough to save all the people that believed us."

"Not all of them believed did they?" Teyla stated.

"No," Cedrus said, resuming his work in re-wraping the bandages. "About half believed us, the rest stayed in the city instead of fleeing into the wilderness."

Cedrus was remembering that day, as was she. He proceeded to the wash basin at the other end of the room.

"I-heard what the towns people did to you."

"Do not concern yourself with what happened. Believe me when I say it could have been far worse."

He felt guilt over what happened; partly because it was _his_ people who had done it, even though it was not anything under his control. Being chased through the stargate was mild in comparison to other occurrences.

Her perception changed, her eyes re-focusing in an odd manner. She heard the others in the room talking to each other, but it didn't matter what they said. All that mattered was how much hunger she felt. The feeling wasn't benign from lack of food since she had eaten only an hour ago.

Panic set instantly as she became aware of what was happening. It had happened so seldom, she had almost forgotten. Her condition was causing her body chemistry to change. The cellular code which had been forced dormant was activating, trying to coerce her into acquiring the energy she needed to heal. It was her body's means of trying to allay the hunger. The instinct was strong, but her mind had to be stronger, especially now of all times.

She closed her eyes in order to conceal what must be a very unnerving gaze. It was becoming worse; already she could feel herself becoming more alert, her body ready to react. She opened her eyes in a jolt, searching around. Her eyes fixated on the physician, working nearby. He had his back turned to her, only a few steps away; how easily she could traverse the distance, he wouldn't even know. _No! _She could imagine the warmth of flesh beneath her hand. _'__Stop this!' _she insisted to herself. She imagined the pleasure it would provide, knowing, remembering how it felt.

She must remain in control!

"Stop," she said to herself.

"I'm sorry?" the physician said as he turned He began to walk toward her. She glared intensely at him, staring with her eyes wide open, unable to control that anymore. He slowed upon seeing her.

She couldn't help it, she lashed out with one hand, grabbing him by the wrist. He was startled, but he did not react with fear, but with concern.

"Syntyche?" Teyla asked. She stood up and approached. Neither of them felt fear, but only concern for her. Sensing their concern removed the edge from the predatory instincts which were surfacing. She calmed herself, slowly relaxing until she felt normal again. She lay back with a dull thud.

"What's wrong?" Cedrus asked.

"Hunger," she replied. "It is interfering with my mind." Both of them exchanged worried glances, probably knowing what that meant.

* * *

Exploring the galaxy through the stargate was amazing; it was an adventure, the likes of which defied description to someone who had never experienced it for themselves. There were drawbacks however, things like taking two steps through the stargate and without warning, finding yourself waking up in a wraith prison cell. At least he thought it was a wraith cell.

It was difficult to tell exactly where he was since it was pitch dark. No amount of acclimation would allow his eyes to see what was around him. He could just make out through feeling his way around that he was surrounded by walls and bars. The walls felt rubbery and rough surfaced which would suggest wraith construction.

John didn't see Ronon or McKay anywhere and he had already tried calling through the dark. He heard nothing, not even an echo.

It was plainly obvious now that it was a trap. Somehow, their arrival on that planet had been expected. John considered ways that could have been possible, but so far hadn't imagined any way the wraith could have known. Maybe it was just coincidence.

John sat still on the floor of the cell, staring out into the blackness. He had no idea what was around him other than what little he had explored. The complete silence was oppressive, oddly making him feel as if he was short of breath. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, reminding himself to stay calm.

He tried occupying his mind with daydreams; things he'd done, people he'd talked to, anything that would grab his attention.

"We have to get all non-essential personnel through the stargate!" McKay called over to him.

He glanced to his right and saw McKay, who was sitting on front of a workstation in the control room. He looked down to where he was standing, and saw Atlantis' dialing device arrayed.

"Sheppard," McKay called, trying to grab his attention. "We need to get these people through the stargate to Earth before the shield fails completely!"

The city was underwater. They had sunk the city to defend against a wraith attack, but now the shield emitters were damaged and failing.

Down in the gate-room, the whole of the Atlantis expedition waited for the stargate to open.

John looked at the dialing device, but paused, his hand resting over the symbols. Something was wrong. He knew the situation was dire, and he needed to get everyone out of the city, but he felt very odd, like he was being watched.

He glanced around the control room, but verified that it was only him and McKay left.

"Colonel Sheppard," Dr Weir called. He glanced down into the control room and saw Dr. Weir staring up at him, her backpack on her shoulders ready to depart. "We need to get that gate open."

"Sheppard!" McKay yelled. "The emitters are operating intermittently. We're already getting huge amounts of water entering the shield. If you don't dial Earth now, we're all going to drown!"

He put his hand down on the first symbol of the sequence, but something wasn't right. He was being watched.

He looked over his shoulder, expecting to see someone there, but there was nobody, he only felt it.

There was a tremendous shudder, sending him to the floor. The sound of breaking glass filled his ears, and the force of water hit him, throwing him. He could feel the pressure of the water, crushing him, forcing his last breath out and making his head feel like it was ready to implode.


	9. Paradigm Shattered

Being allowed as a guest in someone's house was a unique experience for her. Her relationships with humans usually had been at arm's length, consisting mainly of conveying information about the wraith activities in the system. This meant unfortunately that whenever she was sick or injured, she usually had to fend for herself, although there had been exceptions. She never imagined that someone she had met decades ago would remember her and take the time to care for her when she was injured. She wasn't sure if she would have the chance to express how much she appreciated what Cedrus had done to help her. So much time had passed since the events Cedrus recalled and at the time, she never considered that she would be thanked.

Time had revealed to her the extent of the damage that fall caused. She continued to notice new blood stains and bruises from where the sharp rocks had cut and impacted. Every bone in her body ached as a result of the strain imposed by the impact, but her leg hurt most of all, almost completely drowning out the other minor aches.

Cedrus had given her a drug which in addition to relieving some of the pain would help her to sleep. It would be better that way to keep her body in a more relaxed state.

She heard movement in the hallway, the sound of the wood floor creaking slowly, as if someone was standing outside the door. The door opened a crack, but was not pushed open.

It stayed like that for just a moment before another set of footsteps approached.

"You don't have to be afraid of her," Teyla said.

"I'm not afraid," A woman's voice said irritably. There was more stomping of feet in the hall, and someone knocked on the door.

"Enter," She called out to whoever it was. She considered that may have sounded too authoritative. She remembered thankfully that she wasn't acting as a wraith queen anymore.

Teyla entered the room, leaving the door slightly open. She had a plate of food with her, still steaming. "Cholla was hesitant to disturb you." Teyla explained as she brought the plate over to her.

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

Teyla turned to leave, but glanced back quickly. "Why…" she faltered, seeming to be unsure what she wanted to ask.

"Why am I not like other wraith?" Syntyche guessed. It wasn't so much a guess as Teyla's mind projecting what she was thinking. She tasted one of the various items on the plate, trying to liken it to something she had eaten before.

"Yes," Teyla said, now projecting some annoyance at having her thoughts known. "Why?"

"Because of kindness," She replied. She knew Teyla probably wasn't entirely prepared to have all of what she believed about the Lanteans shattered, but she did have a strong mind. She sensed Teyla's habit was to search for truth, no matter how uncomfortable it seemed.

"What do you know of the origin of the wraith?" She asked, wondering how much Teyla already knew.

Teyla looked thoughtful for a moment, retrieving what memory she had of the subject. "We have-speculated that your kind evolved over time, from a creature called Iratus through it feeding on humans and mixing human DNA with its own."

That was the answer she expected. It was the same lie that had been spread all those years ago to the human populations, fearful of the new and terrifying enemy.

"What if I told you the wraith were deliberately engineered, to be the most terrifying and powerful enemy to humans that the mind could dream?"

"I would ask," Teyla answered. "Who would do such a thing?"

"Your history has been manipulated," She said, making the point in a roundabout way. "Many people in this galaxy still regard the Lanteans as gods, and that is what they wanted all along."

"Are you implying it was the Ancestors?" Teyla asked, disbelief spread over her visage.

"I was there Teyla," Syntyche said calmly. "I endured being implanted with false memories, the torture," she looked directly at Teyla, emphasizing the point; "the hunger."

Teyla stared back, her visage dark as she clearly saw what she remembered. She allowed Teyla to draw out her own memories, memories which had been buried.

_He was brutally beating her. She curled up, attempting to protect herself, but it didn't matter, each blow stung and bruised. It was always a human, both men and women. _

Teyla gasped, and she knew that Teyla had been feeling it empathetically.

"They trained us to hate humans." She explained through the flow of images.

_The one who had been hurting her was bound in front of her. "Take revenge!" the voice said. She knew what that meant. She had seen the images, seen what that would do. She felt the impulse, stemming from the innermost parts of her mind. She suppressed it, terrified by its strength._

"_No!" She pleaded, "I can't!"_

_The bound man spoke. "I despise you!" he yelled. You are an abomination, I am superior to you!" _

"_You must feel hunger by now," the voice taunted. "Why don't you feed on him?" It was true she had been starved. By now, ordinary food wouldn't help her; at least that's what she'd been told._

"_Feed on him," the voice said again. "Satiate your hunger; take revenge." She felt aggression, the baser desire to feed stronger than ever. The thought of losing control kept it in check._

Teyla stopped drawing out the memories, clearly too disturbed to continue.

"Such hallucinations were employed daily in order to bend me to their will," she said, trying to keep her mind from straying too far into that time. "I escaped from there before I succumbed."

Teyla remained silent, her hand resting on her forehead as if trying to rid her mind of what she had just seen.

"Why?" She asked, succinctly.

"My kind are not hateful by nature. Such behavior is learned, or in this case, programmed."

"You said the ancestors did this to you." Teyla said, raising her voice. Her gestures were defensive. "What possible reason would they have to do that?"

"Many reasons, primarily for their own benefit. Because of the new threat, the less advanced human populations called out to them for protection, allowing the Lanteans a measure of control over them. It stimulated the development of new technologies for the purpose of war and most of all, it made the Lanteans seem as gods in the eyes of everyone else."

Teyla paced, clearly upset over what she had just heard. "I am sorry," Teyla said, her voice wavering angrily. "You have earned my trust, but I cannot believe the ancestors were capable of such…"

There was a loud thud, like somebody breaking down the door. The two of them stayed quiet and still, uncertain of what this was. A multitude of heavy footfalls reverberated through the wood frame of the house, heading closer. She heard the woman screaming in the next room, followed by Cedrus yelling something. There was the sound of two stunner blasts.

Her heart sank, knowing those people had been hurt because of her.

The door of the room opened with a bang, and a lieutenant strode confidently into the room, no emotion discernible in his demeanor. Behind him, a group of drones stomped in, filling the small room. Each had its weapon pointed at someone in the room.

He turned straight to Teyla. "You will come with us," the lieutenant said dryly, showing no emotion whatsoever. She noticed the conspicuous ornament on the wrist of each one of them, presumably a device of sorts. The headache which had been persistent had grown into a numb feeling in all her limbs. She started to make sense of how they had approached both her and Teyla unawares.

The lieutenant's interest in only Teyla provided a more believable explanation of why they had been followed after departing the ship. Someone must have recognized her.

The lieutenant turned to her. "We were not given specific instructions concerning you, I will ask you return with us."

"I cannot walk," she explained, gesturing to her obviously bandaged and splinted leg.

"You will come with us regardless," he said uncaringly. One of the drones raised a stunner at her.

* * *

-_iIi-_

"Enter the code now!" Rodney shouted over the radio. Sheppard stood in front of the wraith control panel, looking over the symbols. All of them were stargate symbols.

"Enter the address to Earth or we'll all blow up!" Rodney said further, emphasizing the direness of the situation.

This didn't make any sense. He seemed to be thinking that a lot lately. Wait-when had he thought that before?

"Colonel," Teyla's voice pleaded over the radio. "We have less than ten seconds!"

Hearing her plea snapped him to attention. He had the address to Earth memorized, all he needed to do was enter it. He touched his hand to the first symbol in the sequence. He stopped and retracted his hand.

"Hold on," Sheppard said over the radio, "Teyla, you've been missing for over a month."

He was jolted from that place, and found himself sitting in a chair. A bright light shown down on his face, causing him to squint. He tried looking around him, but couldn't see anything. The chair he was in was somewhat like a dentist's chair. He tried moving his arms and legs and found that they were bound. Okay, make that a macabre dentist's chair.

"What's going on?" Sheppard addressed to whoever may be present.

"Take him back to the cell." A grating and annoyed wraith voice demanded. He saw the silhouettes of wraith drones approaching him and untying his arms and legs. Just as he was about to be completely untied, the light went out, leaving him blind. Someone tied his hands together behind him.

He was grabbed bodily and shoved to his feet. "Wait," he protested, "I can't-aggh!" He exclaimed as the blood rushed from his head, making his head hurt. He remembered all the scenarios which had been presented to him, each one after the other. He suspected his mind was being messed with, but this was real. His back ached and his head was still throbbing; definitely real.

A heavy hand grabbed his shoulder, digging its claw-like nails into the skin and leading him along. This was definitely uncomfortable; being touched by a wraith was pretty high on the freak-out-o-meter.

He was led along a short distance into a larger, slightly better lit room. A wraith female stood in the center, looking triumphant. Kneeling at her feet, bound and bruised, was none other than Teyla.

"John!" She called out to him, looking terrified and surprised.

"Teyla," he said, showing equal surprise. He heard more movement behind him, and a quick glance allowed him to see Rodney being led into the room.

"Teyla?" Rodney's surprised and high pitched voice called out.

"Yes Rodney," Teyla said.

"But wait," he argued, "we thought you were dead."

"Silence!" the female shouted, her grating voice echoing through the large hall. "I take it the mind probe did not succeed," she said, now looking annoyed.

"Their resistance to divulging the information was considerable." The same gravelly voiced wraith said.

"What of the other?"

"We determined he did not possess the address." John knew he was referring to Ronon.

"Then we shall find an alternative means of persuasion." She said, turning to Teyla. She knelt to Teyla's level, holding her hand up just as she was preparing to feed.

John was about to yell out, but the wraith paused in place, her hand suspended in the air as if she had become inanimate. She slowly lowered her hand and stood upright. She began to pace back and forth, looking extremely annoyed.

"Take them back to the holding cells," she ordered to the drones around them.

John was toughly turned around. He struggled to glance back to see what was happening to Teyla and Rodney. Both of them were being led out of the large hall and into the dark labyrinth. He heard a multitude of footsteps with him for a short distance, but then at least one group split off in a different direction, supposedly the group escorting Rodney and Teyla. Darn, they were splitting them up.

* * *

-_iIi-_

She stayed in the shadows in the corner of the cell, the dim purple light from the limited spectrum light in the hallway blocked by the wall. She was in essence having a conversation mentally with the facility's computer. Her access to the door had been restricted by her genetics, however that didn't prevent her from finding another means of opening the door. Perhaps she could convince the computer to run a diagnostic on her cell door.

Her leg was still sore, feeling only a slight pain when weight was placed on it. Thankfully, it had healed enough to where she could walk at least a short distance without encountering too much pain.

The door parted open, just as she had hoped it would. She treaded lightly and quickly to the opening, looking both ways through the hall to ensure she wasn't discovered. She stepped out, just before the door closed again.

Her priority now would be to find Teyla and to escape. She hadn't considered that Teyla's face would be recognized during her stay aboard her ship; she should have been more careful to conceal her identity. She currently didn't know who was behind this plot, but she had an idea. Whoever it was certainly had a very large and very secret ground base.

She moved along the hallway through a bulkhead into an adjacent section of cells, searching each one for occupants.

She moved quickly, only looking out of the corner of her eyes into the cells. When she came to the end of the hallway, having seen nobody, she re-considered where Teyla may have been taken. The thought came to her. She called up the link with the systems again, seeing if there was any life signs detection.

The schematic of the entire facility was laid out like a map in her mind, allowing her to see a collection of life signs in one of the main halls. The rest of the facility was almost empty, whichincreased the odds.

Her pace was so swift, that she almost missed someone resting on the wall of one of the cells. She stopped in front of the cell bars thinking it was Teyla. Instead, she saw a man reclining on the wall, one leg straight and one knee raised with his arms wrapped around.

"Who's there?" The man asked, his tone sounding almost uncaring. The man was familiar to her, at least the image of his face.

It was Sheppard. She'd seen his image transmitted among the hive ships of the alliance as a warning. It was more than that though; he was someone important to Teyla. She looked at his face again. He stared off in her general direction, his eyes nearly black and open wide. He couldn't see the color of light that was being cast from the lighting. Although she didn't know why he was imprisoned here, releasing him would be the right thing to do. He was a warrior, and would likely be able to assist in their escape, as long as he believed her intentions.

"Sheppard," she addressed, "you do not know who I am, but I am trying to help. We need to find Teyla." She opened the cell door.

"Who the hell are you?" he called out, staring vacantly in the direction of her voice.

"I am a friend of Teyla's. It is my intention to help her escape; I would like your help."

She sensed a very confused conflict within his mind as the man moved to sit upright. "That's good," he said, "but would you mind explaining a little more? Who are you, and why do I get the feeling that you're not human?"

She regretted for the briefest of moments even initiating this conversation. Would he be so reluctant to save his own friend?

"I am Syntyche, and you are correct, I am not human."

He stood up, resting his hands against the wall and feeling his way forward. "Well, 'Syntyche' I appreciate your allowing me to escape and asking me to help you, but at the moment, I can't see anything!" He ended his sentence crossly.

She commanded the lighting to change color, which occurred at the instant she thought of it.

Sheppard closed his eyes tightly and opened them intermittently. "That's-woah," he exclaimed as he blinked. "You're a wraith."

"Yes," she said tersely, "you're very clever in identifying my species, now shall we go?" His mind seemed to be a little slow in sorting out the information, but finally "Sure," he said, "lead the way."

* * *

-_iIi-_

Sheppard still had a hard time seeing, now on account that it was too bright, but among the first things he saw was this strange wraith. She was about as tall as he was, and looked like you would expect a wraith queen to appear, except for the clothing. Her clothes were torn and covered in dust and dirt. It was weird; it sounded exactly like the wraith female from earlier, but it threw him way out of his comfort zone to believe that she was actually releasing him from the prison.

She led him along a long straight hallway, lined entirely with empty prison cells.

"What is this place?" he asked, "A wraith prison?"

"It's a ground base," the wraith explained, "It has a multitude of potential uses."

"Wonderful," he muttered, imagining the potential pain in the ass it could be to Atlantis.

"Syntyche," someone else called. The wraith turned abruptly to the right. He recognized the voice as belonging to Teyla and promptly rushed up to the cell bars.

"Teyla," Sheppard said. He still couldn't get over the fact that she was right here, healthy and intact.

"Colonel Sheppard," Teyla returned. The wraith touched a control on the wall which opened the cell doors. Teyla rushed out, and promptly hugged him.

"Woah," Sheppard said, returning the hug awkwardly. "I'm glad to see you too."

"I thought I would never see you again," Teyla said, her voice sounding a little choked. John was normally steel faced to _soft_ emotions, but hearing her like this affected him a little.

"Do you know where Rodney is?" Sheppard asked

Teyla looked to her left and was about to speak.

"Over here," Rodney's voice called.

"Can you free him as well?" Teyla asked the wraith.

The wraith didn't act right away, but seemed to be considering what she would do.

"You can trust him," Teyla re-assured.

"How do you know her?" Sheppard asked Teyla, referring to the wraith standing to the side.

"Hey," Rodney called, "I'm still here-in the cell."

Nobody answered him for a moment.

"It is a-very long story." Teyla said. "But suffice to say that I trust her." She nodded to the wraith as she said that.

"Teyla," The wraith said. "How can I be certain I will not be mistreated my these friends of yours?"

"I assure you," Teyla said, "no harm will come to you."

That assurance seemed to be good enough, because she walked the short distance to the cell which Rodney was in, and also opened that door.

"Uhh, Sheppard," Rodney called worriedly from inside the cell.

"Get out here Rodney," Sheppard coaxed.

He resisted laughing when he saw Rodney inch out of the cell nervously.

"Uh," Sheppard, what's going on?"

"Hell if I know," John answered, "All I know is I'm glad to see Teyla alive and well, and I want to get us out of here."

The lights went dark, blanketing their surroundings in complete blackness.

"Oh, that's just perfect," Rodney said.

"They have likely discovered out absence," the wraith said. "I can't illuminate the lights."

"Lets get out of here," John said. "Is there a stargate nearby by any chance?"

"There is," the wraith answered.

"Wait a minute," Rodney said, "What about Ronon?"

John hadn't forgotten about Ronon, but he had to face facts. He had no chance now of navigating through this facility without help, and would also be useless in the event of a fight. The way he figured, the only chance they had left is to try to escape as quickly and quietly as possible.

"I didn't forget, but we can't do anything now except try to get out unnoticed. We have to come back for him."

"Do we know the address to this place?" Rodney asked

"I believe I do," the wraith said, "We are also quite close to an exit from here."

"Colonel," Teyla addressed, "How are we going to see our way out?"

"Hold hands," the wraith said.

"What?" Rodney asked, "No, no, I'm not holding ha..."

"Hold hands Mckay," John instructed, finding his shoulders and taking his hand. It looked like they would have to suck up some dignity if they wanted a chance to get out of this alive.

"Teyla?" John asked.

"I'm with Rodney," she answered.

"Who's leading?" he asked. Someone took his outstretched hand and began leading. That was twice today that a wraith was leading him along. The freak-out-o-meter was going off the scale now.

He was led off to the side, around a corner to be blinded by a multitude of spotlights shining directly at him.

It reminded him of the lights attached to their P90's

A bright flash of red light fired out. He knew that noise...

...

...

* * *

John was beginning to _hate_ being stunned. It was never very pleasant in the first place, but to have it happen twice in a day just plain rotten. He opened his eyes and searched around him.

It was nice to see the inside of one of the rooms within the infirmary; it was a lot better than waking up in a prison.

He sat up slowly to be sure he was all present. Arms, legs, feet, hands-he could check the rest later. He wondered how long it would be before…

"Colonel Sheppard," Came Carson's voice, preceding his entry into the room, "glad to see you're awake."

"Me too," he said casually.

"Well," Carson said, "physically, you're fine from what I can see. Do you have feeling in your limbs?"

"Yeah," John said, "although Ronon's blaster always leaves me with a pins and needles feeling for about a day. Speaking of that, where is he? I'd like to _politely_ remind him to be careful what he's shooting at."

Carson looked minutely uncomfortable. "He'll be here to see you in a minute, along with Dr. Weir."

"Where's McKay and Teyla?" John asked quickly before he left the room.

"They're here," Beckett said, "They're still unconscious, but they're healthy."

That was the best news he'd heard in a long time. Suddenly the weight that he'd been carrying on his shoulders, losing Teyla, lifted off. The feeling was so pronounced, he could almost imagine that it was real. How long had he been bearing that burden?

Beckett left the room abruptly.

This must be something special. A visit from his team _and _Dr. Weir?

Carson left the room. He thought of the events leading up the moment he was stunned. The wraith had been leading, and she should have been the one that Ronon shot. That thought left him confused until he remembered that they all had been holding hands. The shot must have traveled through all of them. Woah, this was going to be a bit of a challenge to explain.

His thoughts drifted to Teyla. He imagined that since he was knocked out, she would have been as well.

How long had it been since she had gone missing? A little over three months he gusstimated. He chuckled, trying to imagine what Teyla had accomplished by coming out of all that unscathed.

He remembered the female wraith, the one who had let him out of the cell. What happened to her?

Dr. Weir walked in, followed by Ronon. Dr. Beckett floated in, sitting off to the side as if he were just observing.

"Hello," Dr. Weir said, trying hard to sound casual, "how are you feeling?"

"Good enough," John said. He could tell something was wrong. Their faces painted it as clearly as a picture. Well, Weir at least, Ronon looked stoic as he always did.

"So how did you escape?" he asked Ronon.

"Major Lorne led a rescue, infiltrated the base and let me out."

"You have Doctor Zelenka to thank for finding a way to trace where the wormhole jumped to," Weir said. "He handled it very quickly considering he'd never seen that technology before."

"That's great," John said, fidgeting slightly. "So uh.." he tried to think of a way to move the conversation along. "What exactly were you shooting at?" he asked Ronon.

"Colonel," Dr Weir said. "When Ronon shot you, he was actually aiming for the wraith-that you were apparently holding hands with."

"The blast went through all of you," Ronon said.

"She was leading us through the dark." Sheppard explained. "We were trying to escape through the stargate so we could come back and lead a rescue."

The three in the room were silent as they processed that.

"Pardon me Colonel," Beckett said, "but I did notice that it was a wraith that was brought back with your group."

"Look," John said, trying his best to sound reasonable. "I know it seems weird, but I was in my cell, minding my own business when this wraith comes along telling me that she'll help me and Teyla and Rodney escape."

"And you believed her?" Ronon said.

"Well, it was either that or stay in the cell. What would you have done?" Well, that was a silly question, he knew what Ronon would have done, probably attack her and run out through the dark.

"Where is she now?" John asked, moving slowly to sit on the edge of the bed. His legs were still feeling a little numb, but he was getting tired of sleeping.

"She's being kept in the isolation room at the moment," Weir said.

"Aye," Beckett agreed, "she was the first to wake up."

"And you were the second," Weir said, "so that's why we're here."

"Has she said anything?" John asked.

"Not much," Weir said. "When we asked her questions regarding the unusual situation we found you in, she only said that you would have to explain. And when we asked her about the scars Teyla had, she again deflected the questions."

"Woah, what scars?" he asked.

"When we first brought her in," Beckett said, "We did a blood analysis and found the presence of wraith enzyme, along with some new proteins we have yet to identify. Then we noticed the scarring."

He could almost see himself becoming pale. "Wait, so is she...?" He couldn't think of a nice way to put it.

"Aged?" Beckett said, "Not from what I can tell, although we haven't seen her in months, so..." he trailed off.

"Tomorrow once all of you are cleared, I'd like to call you all in for debriefing."


	10. Meant To Be There

"Teyla," someone called, shattering the comfortable rushing sound that filled her ears during sleep. She turned over quickly and stared straight up. Halling stood above her, staring down at her with concern etched into his normally calm glare. She stared up at him blankly for a moment, her tired mind taking time to register what was happening.

"Halling," she said excitedly, sitting up quickly. He hugged her, more gently than he usually would.

"You were dead," He said, holding back sobs. He let go, backing up enough for her to see his face which was streaked with tears. Hearing him like this affected her to the point where couldn't hold back emotion. Her own eyes clouded and her throat choked up. She sat up properly on the edge of the bed and Halling once again hugged her.

"I'm sorry," Halling said through sobs.

"You have no cause to be sorry," Teyla said.

"We had a funeral for you," Halling said, "Everyone was present."

Teyla could imagine the event. They would have gathered together in the evening. Without a body, they would have lit eight fires in a circle. Everyone who wanted to would cast a flower into the flames as a remembrance.

"I wish I could have been there," Teyla said, smiling gently. They both laughed briefly.

"How are you feeling?" Halling asked her.

"I'm fine," she said truthfully. It was nice to be able to honestly say that. She wondered if Halling had been informed about the full extent of what happened to her.

"How much have they told you about what happened?" Teyla asked him.

"Colonel Sheppard talked to me. He only said that they rescued you from a wraith stronghold where you were being kept prisoner." He released her and sat up straight.

Teyla looked across the room to the mirror, regarding her own face. She saw herself, sitting on the edge of the bed, here in the infirmary in Atlantis. She was safe and sound. She doubted herself, for a fraction of a second, afraid it was only a dream that she would awaken from. She breathed deeply in deeply; her senses were too acute. She could feel, see, smell everything in detail, which was of course beyond the scope of a mere dream. Halling looked at her through the mirror, and it was only then that she noticed her shirt allowed sight of part of the mark on her chest. She touched the mark and winced internally when it burned at her touch. Halling noticed.

"Is it causing pain?" Halling asked.

"I'm fine, Teyla said, not so truthfully this time. She didn't want to conceal anything from him, but she felt it would be better to allow some time for them both to come to terms with everything. She understood why Syntyche had done this to her and she felt no anger because of it. After all, it did prevent her from being fed on only hours ago. The thought nagged at her, annoying her. Would she have to contend with this for the rest of her life?

Over Halling's shoulder, Teyla spotted movement in the doorway; Colonel Sheppard walked in the door and turned around promptly upon seeing them.

"It's all right Colonel," Teyla said, trying to compose herself for the sake of her friend, "Please come in."

Colonel Sheppard turned around and smiled awkwardly. "Hi, uh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt like that. I didn't know you were still here," he said to Halling.

"It's quite alright Colonel," Halling said to him. "I suppose I should be thanking you. It's because of you that Teyla is safe now."

John looked thoughtful, gazing at the ceiling and swaying on his heels slightly. "Well, I appreciate the accolades, but to tell you the truth I was unconscious for most of the rescue."

"Well," Halling said, allowing a hint of a smile, "I'm sure you were very brave up to that point."

"Oh yeah," Sheppard said, allowing a little modesty to slip. "Anyway, Teyla," he said. "I wanted to let you know that Dr. Weir wants a debriefing as soon as your ready."

"I understand Colonel." Teyla said.

The Colonel turned around and stepped once toward the door, but then whipped around quickly. "It's good to have you back."

"Colonel?" Teyla called. "Where's Syntyche?"

"She's fine," Sheppard said, "She's in the isolation room now."

Teyla looked to Halling, unsure if he would wonder who she was talking about.

"Is something wrong?" Halling asked as he turned his gaze between them.

"No," Sheppard said. "It's nothing." He turned around, swinging his body around the doorframe and out of sight.

Teyla thought of what she was going to say. If she were to tell him the truth of what happened, he may misunderstand halfway through, thinking that she had willing let herself become a servant of wraith. She knew him better than that, he was the closest thing to a relative that she had left. Surely he wouldn't think she had betrayed her people?

"Teyla?" Her eyes had drifted off into the corner of the room as she thought, and she quickly re-focused them on Halling. "I won't pretend that I can understand what you've been through, but I'm here if you want to talk about it."

"Thank you," Teyla said. She sat still, for a brief moment, thinking of where she could begin. "You are probably wondering about the mark?"

"Yes, I must say it concerns me."

She decided there may be a better setting to explain. "Please," she said, standing up slowly, "There is something you should see."

He arose and followed as she led out the door, through the hallways leading into the infirmary. Carson looked up from his desk as they passed, but she nodded to him, allowing a slight smile to assure him that she was well. He returned the slight smile and returned to his work.

"Where are we going?" Halling asked.

"To the isolation room." The room was very close to the main part of the infirmary, only a stone's throw away. The guard standing in front of the main sliding entrance nodded to her, having been instructed to allow her access. "Do you want to go in?" he asked.

"Not presently," Teyla said. She knew a face to face encounter was too much at once and instead she entered the adjacent stairway leading up into the observation room.

Reaching the top floor and looking through the one-way glass, she saw Syntyche, standing and pacing slowly, but not agitated. At her request, the isolation room had been provided some basic things, a bed, a somewhat comfortable chair, and it already had the basic amenities as well as provision for privacy if it was needed. It was almost like one of the many other apartments within the city.

Halling stared through the glass. "I don't follow, why have you brought me here?"

"This is the one who helped me."

"When I woke up aboard the ship, I was in a stasis pod." She considered that Halling may not know what that was. "It's where they keep the people they've captured preserved until..." she supposed it wasn't necessary to elaborate. "I was taken out of there, and forced to become servant to the queen of the hive ship. She's the one who did this to me. At first I thought it was an act of cruelty, but then I later realized that she had marked me, making it so that other wraith wouldn't harm me. Then, the queen helped me to escape the ship, where I learned that she had been put into the position against her will, and that she also considers the actions of the wraith to be evil. She is in large part responsible for ensuring that I returned safely."

Halling's face was almost unreadable. She could see the conflict within his mind, the paradigms he'd built struggling to withstand this new information.

"You were servant to this wraith?" he asked calmly.

"Yes, in a sense. She could not have released me otherwise without arousing suspicion since my face is so well known among wraith."

He glared at her, the intensity of his glare showed his growing agitation.

"I was never asked to do anything cruel to another, and in hindsight, I was treated very well."

"You did this willingly?" Halling asked in low tones.

"No," Teyla said almost pleadingly. "I had no choice in the matter"

He averted his gaze, and stared at the floor for a little while. Teyla knew that he was thinking she had betrayed all principle and traded her service to the wraith for an escape. How could she make him understand?

"I suppose I should understand that I wasn't there; I'm sure you did the right thing."

How had this devolved to the point where she was being forced to defend her honor?

"Is this the one you and Colonel Sheppard were speaking about earlier?"

"It is."

Halling stood up, taking a few paces toward the door.

"Will you be okay?" he asked in low tones.

"Halling..."

"Will you be okay?" he interrupted with a raised voice, not even bothering to make eye contact.

She couldn't believe his reaction. Could he be so upset by what she had told him that his concern for her would grow cold? "Dr. Beckett has been looking out for me."

"I have a matter to attend to," he said in barely audible speech. "The people of Parath have endured an attack by wraith, and several families have come to us seeking shelter." He kept his back to her as he spoke, but then turned sharply and stared into her eyes.

"Do not forget what they are Teyla," he warned. "Do not think the motives of any wraith could be for anything except destruction." He waited the length of a breath, then abruptly left, his quick movements causing his cape to trail.

* * *

-_iIi-_

John stared out the window at the Lantean sunset, enjoying the view.

Teyla had been doing excellent since she had returned. That morning she had already related to them what had happened to her. It was amazing to say the least, that she had been able to pull off surviving so long. At first they had been worried that she had traded servitude to the wraith for a chance at freedom, but the more they heard, the more they were sure that wasn't the case. That in itself brought up a lot more questions.

The wraith hadn't been formally questioned, and had remained mostly silent up to this point. She did say she wanted Teyla to be present before she began explaining her involvement. Her presence here had at first been unsettling. It had become policy not to take wraith as prisoner. The moral and ethical issues were far too complex for anyone to want to deal with. It was a huge relief to him to learn that their _guest_ didn't need to feed in order to survive. He didn't know how or why that was possible, but he was thankful that it was. Teyla had also made her wish clear, that she wanted Syntyche to be released. Sheppard knew it wouldn't be as simple as that.

In just a few minutes, all these uncomfortable issues would be discussed in the debriefing.

After eating, John walked over to the service stairwell which led all the way up to the control room. It was a shame everybody preferred to use the transporters; the spiraling stairwell was lined with glass, overlooking the north pier of the city from several hundred feet up. It was worth the climb.

His sense of confidence began to evaporate when he saw everyone was already present in the meeting room. John walked swiftly in, timidly taking a seat at the head of the table. He looked at the clock placed on the opposite wall and noticed that he was five minutes late.

"Nice of you to join us," Dr. Weir said, her expression sarcastic.

"You know me," John said, hiding his embarrassment "always fashionably late." Dr. Weir gave him a withering look.

John looked around the table at the occupants. Teyla sat at one end of the table, while Ronon and Rodney were seated at the other side.

His eyes were drawn to a piece of paper on the table in front of him.

"So what's the meeting about?" John asked casually.

"Well obviously it's about what we're going to do with that wraith," Rodney said.

"Ordinarily," Weir said, "we wouldn't allow a wraith to be kept prisoner, however given that this one doesn't seem to need to feed, long term confinement is an option. However, Teyla has advocated that we let Syntyche, as she calls herself, decide what she wants to do."

John looked to Teyla, unsure how to handle this gently. "Well, that may not-be possible," Sheppard said.

"You are referring to the information she may reveal to other wraith about Atlantis," Weir said.

"She will not reveal information to the wraith," Teyla said.

"How can you know that?" Ronon asked.

"Because I have come to know her. I know that she does not consider herself a wraith."

"But she is one," Ronon said.

Teyla didn't have an answer for that right away, but she definitely was formulating a response. Sheppard wasn't liking this exchange at all. He really felt that they should let her go, but he also had his responsibility to Atlantis to ensure that information about the city did not fall into enemy hands. Teyla trusted her, but he just didn't know enough to feel the same way.

"Do you not trust me?" Teyla said tersely.

"Of course we trust you," Sheppard said. "We just can't be sure about your new friend."

"Then why don't you get to know her?" Teyla said as if she were challenging them all.

"What are you suggesting?" Weir asked.

Rodney raised his hand to chest level as if he were going to ask a question. "Why don't we bring her here?"

Rodney suddenly was the center of attention. He was the last person they would expect to suggest that.

"Are you serious?" Weir asked, seeking to confirm that Rodney wasn't being sarcastic.

All present looked to each other, waiting for someone to say no.

"It may allow us to gain some trust," Sheppard suggested.

"All right then," Weir said. "Let's tell her." She tapped her communicator. "Lieutenant Collins," she addressed, "please escort our guest to the meeting room."

John waited roughly five minutes, tapping the table with his fingernails before a small group arrived. The wraith was escorted by two guards, and her hands were bound in cuffs. She hesitated at the entrance, moving her eyes around the room, not looking at the occupants, but seemingly at the walls. John turned his head around, trying to see if there was anything interesting.

"The restraints won't be nescessary," Teyla said crossly.

Weir gestured to Collins, who proceeded to unbind her.

"Please," Weir said to the 'guest', "Take a seat."

The wraith nodded politely at her before being seated across from the five of them.

Weir opened her mouth, and paused for the briefest of moments. "How shall we address you?" she asked uncertainly.

"My name will suffice," the wraith said. "Syntyche."

"Syntyche," Weir repeated. "Firstly, I don't want to give you the wrong impression about why you're here. This isn't a trial, we just want to learn a little more about you."

"Of course," she said cordially.

"I think I've been able to gather most of the story starting at the point where Teyla was taken aboard your ship." Weir said, "Am I to understand you were posing as a queen as a means of infiltration into that alliance?"

"No," Syntyche answered. "It was never my intention to set foot aboard a hive ship. It only became that way after I had been captured."

"I see," Weir said, "Teyla said that you had been coerced by the ship commander into representing your ship in an alliance."

"Representing _his_ ship," she corrected. "I had very limited power, any my actions were restricted."

"Would you be willing to share any information about the alliance?" Weir asked.

"Whatever you may find useful," Syntyche said.

"How long did you have to wait before escaping?" Ronon asked. "Teyla said that you killed the ship commander just by thinking it. Why couldn't you have done it sooner?"

The wraith didn't look offended or alarmed, but was thoughtful, probably thinking of a response. "I was not in a position to do so. I was not prepared to murder him outright while it was still possible I could find an opportunity escape without being noticed."

"She was being kept prisoner," Teyla said, "much in the same way I was."

"But wasn't that risky?" Rodney asked. "If you could have escaped sooner, why didn't you?"

Her attention diverted to Rodney, and her expression turned to one of surprise and discomfort. "I kept as close guard over her as I could," she said, her tone becoming oddly soft. "I am not a murderer and I would not kill the commander even to free myself unless he was prepared to attack me." She stopped talking and stared at the table in front of her, her eyes distant. "Teyla was the one person I was able to save out of all that had been culled while I was there. Do not think I took that lightly."

"I see," Weir said, re-gathering.

Despite Weir's insistence that this wasn't a trial, it sure was sounding like one.

"I suppose you can understand why we would find it odd that any wraith would go through all that you have in order to help a human."

She turned to Weir, "I am not wraith," she insisted, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Dr. Weir. "I am Asteraceae."

The group looked to each other, unsure what to make of this.

"Well, that would explain some things," Elizabeth said. "Dr. Beckett reported that your DNA was slightly different than that of other…" although she was about to say 'wraith,' she paused to mind the difference in nomenclature, "from that of wraith."

"Asteraceae came before the wraith. Those of them which succumbed to the Lanteans became wraith, and those that wouldn't were killed."

Dr. Weir shifted in her seat, folding her hands together. "Yes, Teyla has informed us of your _theories_ on the origin of the wraith." She glanced down at the tabletop and back up again.

John expected some sort of annoyance or argument, but she remained still, her face showing no change in emotion.

"I understand from your position how difficult it would be to believe." She said cooly, "However I suspect soon you will hear greater evidence than I can provide."

John thought that statement was odd and he noticed that sentiment seemed to be shared amongst all in the room when each of them looked to the other to see if someone understood. Rodney was glancing frequently at the wraith, pretending poorly to be casual. The wraith in turn stared steadily at him, allowing a smirk at the edge of her lips.

"Let's move onto the issue of what you're going to do now," Dr. Weir said. "Based on our past experiences with-wraith, my superiors are encouraging me to take _very strict_ measures to ensure you are not able to report intelligence about the city." John knew that was a a little bit of an understatement.

"Am I to assume my assurance that I am not in alignment with any faction of wraith is meaningless to them?" she responded.

"Perhaps to them," Weir said, "however it is only me and Colonel Sheppard that you have to persuade, and as to that, you have shown me several times already that you are deserving of our trust."

John had already assessed her character. He saw the subtle signs which told more than words could. The way she spoke was plain, versus the last wraith queen he'd brokered a deal with, who was reserved and condescending in tone. She did not try to coerce them by giving them ultimatums, and instead hadn't even asked directly to be released. Putting herself at risk by leading them through a wraith compound; Teyla trusted her, and Weir trusted her, and now he was beginning to understand why.

Sheppard nodded to Weir, showing that he agreed with her descision.

Weir paused, waiting for her to respond. "We're giving you the option to go your own way," she said finally. "We can let you go anywhere the stargate travels to."

* * *

-_iIi_-

She stood a ways back from the open gate, a familiar world waiting on the other side. Teyla approached and stood nearby.

"Good bye, and thank you." Teyla said.

"Goodbye Teyla," Syntyche replied. She turned her palms and bowed her head, the gesture of greeting and goodbye she'd always known. On the upper platform, Dr. Weir, and Colonel Sheppard had stayed to watch her depart. She searched the area briefly for the one she'd recognized. He looked the same age, even after all this time. It was difficult to imagine that he had been sitting across from her and not even known who she was. He said it would be like that the next time they met. Even after searching the area he was nowhere to be found, but it didn't matter, she would see him again.

She turned away from Teyla and stepped up onto the platform, walking slowly until she passed through the gate.

The world on the other side was familiar to her. Cold damp night air greeted her as she crossed through the other side. The dampness in the air was obscured the stars, allowing only the brightest to shine through. She glanced upward, wondering in what direction she'd traveled, noticing then that the leaves on the trees had gathered a layer of frost already. Something in the air was not as she remembered. She'd been here many years, and knew that the few settlements nearby would burn wood to heat their houses, but now there was nothing in the air.

She set off down the road, veering off onto the side trail that would take her away from the town and the majority of the settlements. She was excited to be able to see her friend and his companion, to let them know she was safe. They were among the few people over the ages who she could call friends. Anon, and his wife Adah lived isolated away from the rest of the small community. That is what they said they always desired, to stay away from the business of other people. She intended to only stay a moment in order to reach her own dwelling before sunrise.

The long trail brought her up a hill to a clearing which overlooked the valley and river below where she could see the lights in the town shining from a fair distance. A few more minutes of walking brought her to the house.

Instantly she knew something was horribly wrong. The front door of the house was open, broken and hanging awkwardly on its hinges. There were no lights of any kind and the chimney produced no smoke.

She approached the door, walking cautiously through the threshold. The broken pieces broke free and clattered to the ground, shattering the silence and the sense of safety it provided. She could see the dwelling appeared untouched, the furniture all in place, the floor clean, and the rest of the doors untouched. She saw a pot on top of the stove instead of with the others on the shelf beside. She walked over to the stove and felt the base of the pot, noticing the contents inside were still warm. An enemy had come, acting swiftly and taking nothing but Anon and Adah. The wraith were becoming desperate if they visited one world so often.

She took a chair from the table and sat, staring at the beams of starlight falling through the windows. If only she had arrived a day earlier! She had seen this time and time again, the wraith coming to destroy and torture and herself unable to stop it! They deserved to be destroyed themselves! It burned inside of her, revenge flaming at the edges of her mind. She imagined herself aboard the hive ship still. How easy it would have been to destroy the whole ship, perhaps two ships if she timed it correctly. She imagined the heat, the inferno and the swift death it would provide to them, feeling even now how it would satiate the flame. Why hadn't she? Why had she gone those months without stopping them? It had been in her power to do so.

But they were still her own brothers and sisters. Some even still bore the family markings which they would have received upon coming of age. She recognized some of the markings as she had wandered the large ship. One of the faces she recognized; the ship commander had been one she knew from long ago. She once saw him as a friend. He had once been kind, zealous, before his mind was twisted to follow the lies. The way she last saw him bore no resemblance to as she remembered. It was as if he had replaced his own soul with something cold and hateful. Still, even once he had joined a faction of wraith, there was one time, when he had defended her homeworld against Lantean attack, an action for which at the time he seemed to have no interest in. It was because of this she had held onto the hope that she could still find the one she remembered.

They called themselves wraith now, but she could not stop seeing them as Asteraceae.

It wouldn't be long now. This tyranny would be broken, and the wraith would be given a choice. They could choose to live once again as Asteraceae, no more causing terror and harm to others. She wondered if any were still left. Were there any alive still which had not taken their soul and thrown it away from themselves? There was another option. At that time, those that would decide to cling to those wretched ways would receive what wraith had always strived for, and they would finally realize that it was a lie.

She stood up abruptly, having no reason to remain here. She walked quickly out the door and further down the path toward her own dwelling. This was how it had always ended. Anyone she had grown close to as a friend, either through enemy, through sickness or through age, they always left her. She was by no means as long lived as the wraith, who sustained themselves in their twisted way, and yet she had already seen more time than she wanted to see. She longed to find another of her own kind, company which wouldn't disappear, and a friend that wouldn't leave her. But so much time had passed, time which she had missed entirely by mistake. From this alone, she understood that it may never be possible.

She climbed further up the hill, reaching the mouth of her dwelling. Her human friends had always had difficulty understanding why she preferred to live in caves as opposed to houses constructed of wood or stone. It was where she was most comfortable. Still, it could not compare to the kind of ships her people had once called their homes. Ships without weapons, without stasis chambers to satiate the perverted hunger of an entire army.

She stepped inside expecting to find the greeting of fresh, cool air which the cave produced. Instead the smell of decay assaulted her. She moved further, breath stilled both from revulsion to the stink and fear. Each step was slow and cautious, and she opened her eyes wide to better see any threat. Upon rounding the corner, she saw what was once her home. The things which she had made for herself, beds, decorations, all gone. Any technology seemed to have been removed.

She turned to the opposite wall, which assaulted her with words written in wraith. _"You are next, our commander will be avenged."_

She retreated from the wall, as if the stone itself would lash out and attack her. Her foot bumped against something soft. She turned and looked down to see an arm, not attached to anything, just an arm. Now she saw the source of the smell, two bodies had been placed one the floor, which was covered in areas with blood. She knew exactly who they had been. She ran out of there, her heart no longer regulating itself. She took a few paces from the mouth of the cave and collapsed to her knees as if she were unable to stand.

Her eyes clouded and her throat constricted, unable to control the assault of emotion. It never became easier, it only became more and more difficult to bear each time it happened. This was not the first time something like this had happened. Every memory, the image of every friend that had been taken from her came to mind, and it crushed her more than any weight of stone ever could.

"Why wasn't it me?" She shouted to nobody in particular. "It should have been me! They had nothing to do with this!" She sobbed irregularly for a time, all the while the thought that she was responsible repeated in her mind.

After awhile, her sobs subsided and the calm of the night returned as a soft breeze.

She looked in the direction of the town and still saw no lights. The place was probably mostly abandoned, but there was sure to be groups of fighters hiding in wait, ready to attack a lone wraith. It had been long enough; she never wanted to see this again. She stood, looking on in the direction of the trail, allowing herself to hesitate briefly. Gathering courage, she set out toward the town, no longer caring if she was spotted or not as that was her intention. The night was coming to a close by the time she reached the edge of the city. The stars were disappearing to be replaced by the blackish blue glow toward the sunrise.

The town was in ruin. The contents of homes and shops littered the streets, and the smoldering remains of stands in the marketplaces littered the ground. Entire sections of houses had been razed, the cuts between the adjacent houses cut clean as if they were removed by a fine knife. This place had endured a bombardment of wraith weaponry from orbit.

She walked up the main road, looking to the left and right for signs of life, and became increasingly aware that she wouldn't find any. It seemed now that she wasn't in any danger here of being spotted and killed.

She exhaled, and just at the point between breaths, she heard something, like a gasp or whimper. She turned in the direction of the sound to see a form duck quickly behind a crumbled wall of brick stairs. She stood still with her eyes fixated on the spot, waiting to see what this was. Part of a head and an eye moved around the corner of the wall and remained perfectly still as it stared at her. It was a child.

She had seen the aftermath of too many wraith attacks, and in times of desperation, wraith would make no distinction between mothers or fathers, often leaving children without parents. Normally, nobody would have to ever see this more than once in a century, and she had seen it on the order of dozens of times now. These were not normal circumstances.

The child remained perfectly still, fearful as if they still believed they were hidden. Syntyche hesitated in deciding what to do. She looked to the left and the right throughout the street, seeing if there was any sign of people. She looked through the broken bits of glass left in the windows to see if anybody was showing interest in the child. Finally, she breathed deeply and slowly, trying to sense any other presence besides the one child.

There was none. She stepped slowly toward the spot, her footfalls sounding loud from bits of rock and glass littering the street. She knew it may be pointless to try to gain any trust from him since he'd just seen his friends and family massacred by creatures who looked just like she did.

"Don't be fearful," she said, speaking softly to mask the harmonic element of her voice. "Where are your parents?"

The child responded by jumping out of position and attempting to flee. He stumbled on a brick and pitched forward while still attempting to run, but fell despite his efforts. He fell on his arms and knees on the bits of rock and broken glass, crying out as he rolled over and examined his arms briefly for damage. His attention was quickly diverted from his bleeding arms to her.

"Please," he begged, backing up against a wood barrel. He covered his head with his blood stained arms as if to ward off some attack. Syntyche regarded his age, estimating that he couldn't be more than eight years old based on his stature and appearance.

"Please calm down," she said, approaching slowly. He responded by closing his eyes tightly, as if he thought he were about to be struck.

"I will not hurt you," Syntyche said, aiming to sound calm. "I'm trying to help."

He opened his eyes and began breathing irregularly while staring at her with wide eyes.

"Are your parents nearby?" she asked, trying to receive some response. He hesitated, turning his head toward the house and back again.

"I think so," he said meekly, voice strained and quiet.

"Will they be here soon?" she asked. He again turned toward the house, staring through one of the broken windows. Syntyche turned to see what he was looking at, but the window was empty.

"They're here," he replied, in a sob, his eyes becoming glassy and more reflective.

She was too well accustomed to the aftermath of wraith cullings to be ignorant of what had probably happened.

"Are they inside?" she asked. The boy nodded with his head hung low, tears dropping on the ground. Syntyche looked to the house, surveying it. She decided to look inside briefly, just to confirm her suspicion. She stepped up the partially crumbled brick stairs into the already open door. Inside was a hallway littered with dust and debris scattered around as if the whole place had been shaken. She remembered that it probably had been. She treaded carefully, unsure of the stability of the floor and the building. Looking left into what was once a kitchen, she saw piled on the floor what must have been the boys parents. She turned away quickly, having no desire to look on the result of a wraith feeding.

She stepped quickly outside, trying not to look panicked for the boy's sake.

"Come with me," she said as she reached the bottom of the stairs where the boy was sitting, beckoning him to follow her. He didn't move from the spot, still weeping, but also looking at her very distrustfully.

"Where will you take me?" he asked

That was a fair question, and she still didn't quite know. Before she had left, the humans from Atlantis had left her with instructions should she ever need to contact them. They were the only ones she could call friends now, and they would be in the best position to help the child.

"I will take you to someone who is better able to help you."

The boy continued to hesitate, staring at the house.

"I'm sorry," She understood though how he felt. It seemed there was more opportunity than she wanted for her to re-live her past and remember the wounds which had been inflicted when she was young. It was because she knew how it felt to lose ones family that she could truly empathize. The boy stood, walking away from the house and not looking back.

"We're going through the stargate," she said as he hesitated, looking both ways up and down the street.

"Are you going to take me to where the other wraith are?" he asked timidly, his voice wavering minutely.

Syntyche knew that from his perspective, he could easily imagine that she was trying to trick him. "No, I'm taking you to friends of mine, humans. They will be able to help you."

He continued walking beside her at a distance, proceeding slowly on account of the obstacles littering the streets. Neither of them spoke at all while they were still within the city.

They reached the edge of the town where the trees became thick again, and the trail became narrow and strewn with tree roots. She let him travel ahead of her on account of the trail being too narrow, and because she respected the distance he wanted to put between them.

"Who are you?" The boy asked suddenly, reaching through the wall built between them.

"I am Syntyche," she answered. Supposing it was appropriate, she decided to ask a question in return. "What is your name?"

"Asa," the boy replied. "My name means 'healer,'" he explained.

That was interesting; not all cultures remembered the origins of their names, the languages having become too diluted over time. Her own name was meaningful, but it wasn't something she thought about often. "My name means, 'a shared destiny.'"

There was silence between them again for a time. The sky had turned cloudy, and with it the air had become warmer than it had been previously. The increasing light allowed her to see the leaves of the trees, which had already turned colors of bright red and yellow, signaling the cold weather to follow. She had been gone for several months for this to already be happening.

They approached a stream, a small wood foot bridge crossing the width of it. The bridge was black with age, moss growing in the corners of it which were not touched often. Ahead of her, Asa tripped, falling on the soft dirt that composed the trail . As he lie there, he sobbed quietly. Children would wail and scream when there was nothing the matter, but true sadness manifested most often in quiet suffering.

He picked himself up, sitting on the yellowish moss of a tree trunk and hiding his face from view.

She stood to the side, waiting for him to be ready to continue onto the stargate.

"My father used to bring me here," he sobbed.

She didn't say anything, not knowing _what_ to say.

"It's not true," he said shaking his head. "It's a dream. It's a bad dream."

She knew that disbelief. Through the minutia of day to day life, you often became ignorant of the risks and possibilities. When something happens to break that peace, it can be surreal. So it had been for her. Her life hadn't just been shaken, it had been shattered and blown away in the wind. Her family, her people, the world she knew had been destroyed, leaving only a memory of things past, and horrific awe at the devastation left behind.

"I understand," she said, careful to control her voice. "I truly do." She knelt down to his level, silently receiving permission to sit near to him. "I had a family once, similar in some ways to your family."

He raised his tear streaked face to look at her. His weeping seemed to stop as he became interested in what she was saying. "You had a family?"

"I did. They were much the same as your family, although much different in some respects."

The boy was silent as he stared at his shoes and the ground, thinking about what she'd just told him.

"Were they killed?" he asked.

His question brought up an emotion which had been buried for years, which she struggled to suppress. "Yes," she answered, "I was the only one left."

He looked to her, and suddenly she sensed sympathy from him, where unease and fear had been before. "Like me," he said softly, barely audible.

"Yes," she said, resting a hand on his back. There wasn't anything more to say. Some things words could not heal.

"Let's continue," she urged, not wanting to remain there for too much longer while wraith may return.

He stood promptly and walked farther on, across the bridge and toward the gate which was very close now.

"Have you traveled through the gate before?" she asked the boy. She knew the gate on this world was not in common usage by the people, most believing it was bad luck to travel through it, however that didn't deter some traders from using it.

"No," he said meekly. The trail widened to a flat clearing in the trees, wide enough to allow view of the mountain she had until recently called home. She stopped to stare at the dense clouds surrounding the soft rolling peaks. She thought of her friends up there, and wished there was some way to take care of the remains properly. This place had become dangerous, and staying any longer would mean capture or worse from the wraith. Her cave would have to serve as well for a tomb from now on.

Her senses alerted her to something alive in the area around her. She hadn't been paying enough attention, or perhaps the wind changed. She could sense them all around, several.

She turned slowly to search around. Perhaps knowing they'd been discovered, several men, armed with a mix of bows and arrows, as well as Earth weapons abandoned their hiding spots in the surrounding shrubbery. She counted ten altogether, gathering slowly around her. The boy gasped, and stood close to her side as they circled.

One approached her, holding his weapon close to himself and pointed at her. Being taller than the rest, he stood out naturally as their leader by his stature and demeanor.

"Here to witness the fruits of your labor?" he said coldly.

Syntyche remained silent, entirely unsure what to do. She could stop one, perhaps two using only her mind, but there were too many. She thought of vanishing from their sight, but their minds were too focused to allow that.

"Are you searching for a new slave for yourself?" he said bitingly.

"Who are you?" she asked harshly, no longer caring to suppress her voice's harmonics.

"We are Athosian," the man replied. "We are here searching for survivors of this massacre you have caused."

She wanted to deny any responsibility for what happened, but she didn't believe it strongly enough herself to answer.

"I am here because this is where I live, or rather once did until now."

The man looked to the boy. "Come with us now," the man called, beckoning to the boy.

Asa remained with her, and she sensed he intended not to move.

The man waited, becoming more visibly annoyed with each passing second.

"What have you done to him?" he accused. "What sort of deception is this?"

She hissed at him, his accusation too outrageous for her to cope with coolly. "I have done nothing to the boy! He is frightened by you. It was my intention to take him to where he could find someone to take proper care of him."

"Step away from her," the man continued saying, again beckoning to him. She knew what they were planning, she could sense their intention to kill her as soon as he was away from her.

The boy being frightened, stood still. This wasn't right. Helping the boy reminded her, though she may not see it, there was still a purpose for her to fulfill. With new resolve, her desire to live became strong, but she still had to persuade these men not to harm her. But what right did she have to use the boy as a shield? That was not the answer, what she needed was a dialogue.

"Have you seen Teyla?" She asked. She almost didn't comprehend it when the man had introduced himself as an Athosian, the same as Teyla.

The man's determination wavered, his attitude shifted from aggression to agitation.

"How do you know about that?"

"Is she not well and with her people now?" Had they not been informed of her whereabouts? Perhaps they didn't even care.

"Then it was you who helped her." He stared at her strangely, trying to mask any change from his look of hatred. What she sensed from him now was an uncomfortable willingness to accept what she was saying. He lowered his weapon slowly, looking at the boy as he did.

"You are truly trying to help him?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, almost emphatically. She remembered her constant weariness on account of earning trust. There once was a time when Asteraceae would have been trusted implicitly by any race. That time was far gone, and now she had to struggle to earn trust, solely on account of what she was.

The man cast his eyes to the ground at his feet. "Me and my people may be able to provide a home for him."

Her mind became filled with the noise of other wraith minds. A small number of them were approaching, far away yet, but quickly.

"We must leave now," she insisted.

"Why?" he demanded

"A small number of wraith are approaching in a ship now, we need-"

She was cut short by a series of quick explosions, the sound of which she recognized. A moderate size ship was traveling nearby, and very fast.

"Let's go!" the man shouted. The others snapped to attention quickly and sped off toward the gate.

"Come with me," the man beckoned to the boy. She pushed him forward, gently encouraging him to run. The boy half glanced back, but sped off with the stranger who stayed alongside the him.

She followed, reaching the gate only seconds behind the rest of them.

The man interrogating her saw her as she came from behind and raised his weapon briefly, but lowering it some. He glanced between her and the gate control, hesitating on a course of action. Finally, in fluid motion, he entered the coordinates, and bounded up the steps only just missing the vortex before he stepped through.

Several of his men followed suit, and once they all had left, she approached the gate. Just as she reached the barrier, she stopped to look behind her, one last glance at her... What was it? Home? Her real home had been gone for ages. This was just another place, the people who had made it home were now dead.

A gate-ship approached in view, coming directly at her. She wasted no time and stepped backward through the gate.


	11. A New History

The scent of another world greeted her on the other side. She stepped backward carefully, and ducked low. The action was almost unnecessary as the gate deactivated promptly. That wasn't long enough for them to see the address; they were safe.

She turned around, and almost expectedly, the entire congregation of men had their weapons aimed at her.

"Stop," the leader said. "Lower your weapons." Each of them looked to their leader unsurely, but followed his order regardless.

He approached her slowly, Asa still staying close to him. He glanced to the gate. "That was your home?"

"It was."

"We thought we had failed in finding anyone left to save in that place, the entire town razed and lifeless. It was our intention to help those displaced by the attack find shelter. Perhaps we may still succeed."

His implication was subtle, and she hesitated to believe it, for fear that it may prove untrue.

"We call this world New Athos, it is our home, and you are welcome to call it home as well."

"You trust me?"

"Fear and hate blinded me to it before. Teyla tried to me explain it to me, but I wouldn't listen. Then I saw the way this boy trusted you, the way you tried to protect him, and then I knew that you weren't a murderer."

This was the way her life had always progressed. Everything changed rapidly from one thing to the next. When one chapter ended, a new story began to take it's place. Her story wasn't yet over, a purpose was still left for her. She had never before been welcomed by the leader of any community and now she understood that the effect of every decision could not be seen. Her decision to help that strange and weak cry for help had led to all of this. It was amazing and terrifying all at once.

She thought of all those culled while she had been aboard the ship. She wanted to save them all, but couldn't. She thought of the massacare she had seen on her home world. Was it her fault? Could she have stopped it? _No, _she answered internally. She looked to Asa, scared, terrified, and scarred as he was, he was alive, and healthy. He would not be without a home.

She remembered Teyla, and remembered the brief moment she had seen her together with her friends. All of them had an inseparable bond to each other, hardened and purified by the fires of trial and hardship.

By no means had she not effected a change for good.

"Thank you," she said as she descended the steps away from the stargate.

* * *

_-iIi-_

The bright midday sun felt blissful as she lay out under the Lantean sky. She hadn't felt sunshine for so long, she forgot how wonderful it was.

It was strange to see her home after so long. So much was the same, and yet so many _little_ things were different. Equipment had been re-located and new things brought in. There were new faces, as well as most of the old ones still. There was one thing which hadn't changed and she'd only forgotten; the smell. The city always carried the faint odor of the deep ocean, even through the supposed filters and ventilation. Her first memory of this place was that smell, it was that most of all which confirmed to her that she was safe.

Supposing it was better to limit the amount of sun she received at one time, she removed herself from the reclining chair and walked back inside the tower. The gate room was close by, and she felt drawn to go there. She had nothing in particular to do that day until that evening. Dr. Beckett was already satisfied that she was well enough to resume missions.

The gate room was always the hub of activity in the city, and she watched as all those in the control room and gate room passed through about their business. The room itself and the stargate at the far end seemed to have an aura of wonder and mystery. It was this in part that drew her to these people, these explorers from another galaxy. Her desire to fight against the wraith had always weighed in, but it wasn't the only reason.

Dr. Weir appeared alongside her as she leaned against the railing, looking out through the windows behind the stargate.

"Hello Teyla," Weir said.

"Dr. Weir," she answered.

"I'm sure you're eager to resume your place on Colonel Sheppard's team."

"Yes."

"We've already sent a malp to the next planet on the dialing list. It looks like a hot and humid forest around the stargate, but we're seeing signs of civilization."

"I'm looking forward to it," she said, allowing a smirk.

"I'm just waiting for Rodney to get back. He's scheduled to return in order to give enough rest before the next mission."

The gate activated, sending a few people in the gate room running out of the way.

"We're recieving McKay's IDC," the gate operator said.

"Lower the shield," Weir ordered.

The gate remained still, and she watched, knowing it only took a few seconds for someone to transit through the gate.

The gate made a faint snapping noise, and then the barrier disappeared in a blink as if it had never been there in the first place.

"What happened?" Weir demanded, walking closer to the gate operator.

"I don't know, it just shut off."

"Perhaps Rodney delayed too long in stepping through the gate," Teyla suggested.

"We should wait a few seconds to see if they try to dial again," Weir suggested.

Teyla watched the face of the dial clock on the wall tick away almost a full minute.

"That's long enough," Weir said. "Dial them and see what happened."

The operator pressed the symbols with impressive speed and skill, activating the gate.

"Lieutenant Stevens," Weir said over her radio.

"Stevens here," a voice replied.

"What's Dr. McKay's status?"

There was an tense pause. "What do you mean? he stepped through the gate."

**THE END**


End file.
